Probably the strangest lake on the globe, destroying all the usual notions of water, is located on the island of Trinidad. You can’t swim in it, but on its surface they walk as on the sidewalk, since it is filled with liquid asphalt.
The history of the discovery of a natural phenomenon
The amazing Lake Peach Lake was discovered by the British favorite of Queen Elizabeth I at the end of the 16th century while searching for the countless riches of the legendary country of Eldorado. An avid traveler and famous public figure stumbled upon a strange spot of black that stands out against the background of bright tropical greenery.
Streams of excellent quality asphalt, not melting under the hot sun like resin, flowed from a huge pit with an area of 46 hectares. Namely, it was until this time that they impregnated the wooden lining of ships.
After the discovery of a natural phenomenon, black viscous mass is supplied to Britain, but commercial production on an industrial scale only begins in 1888. It is known that thanks to this resin, all the central streets of the venerable England were paved with asphalt, and in the city of Washington, the road surface stood for 11 years in perfect condition, glorifying the whole world the bitumen of Trinidad Lake. Experts consider the largest commercial field asphalt lake Peach Lake. To this day, canoes of local Indians are not afraid of water, since the island population has known for a long time about the properties of bitumen.
The myth of the appearance of an unusual lake
The oldest legend, passed down from generation to generation, says that once upon a time there was no oily reservoir in this place. The Indians who lived here made a grand feast about their victory over the enemy and roasted the sacred birds - hummingbirds.
It has long been a little birdies, in which, according to legend, the dead souls of their ancestors were instilled, were treated with great reverence. The Indians, intoxicated by the victory, completely forgot about it, for which they cruelly paid: the gods were angry with them, and the village was swallowed by a dark viscous abyss that remained in the place of the feast.
Scientists Version
Scientists who have studied a natural attraction have discovered the secret of bitumen. It turns out that Lake Peach Lake, 80 meters deep, was once the crater of a volcano; liquid oil is now emerging from its hollow , spilling over a vast territory and thickening to a viscous state. Thick bitumen mixes with rocks to form asphalt.
Surprisingly, small shrubs make their way from the dark surface looking gloomy. Scientists put forward a version according to which between the layers of asphalt a certain substance resembles the soil. It is she who gives life to the puny plants in such a strange place.
Curious phenomenon for researchers
Nobody can call the buttery Lake Peach Lake motionless, the dense waves diverge from a new portion of liquid asphalt rising from the very depths. Sometimes small bubbles appear on a black elastic surface - this is how sulfur dioxide comes out. It is believed that the reserves of liquid asphalt will last another 400 years with an annual production of several tens of thousands of tons.
On the warm surface of a bitumen pond, the Indians of Lake Peach Lake bask in the season of heavy tropical rains. During coastal surveys, mastodons were found stuck in an oily trap, and the skeleton of a sloth who lived about 2 million years ago.
Lake Peach Lake, which conceals many secrets, attracts the attention of entire groups of scientists with its unique ability to keep objects that were absorbed centuries ago in excellent condition. It is also surprising that the processes taking place inside allow you to lift everything from the bottom to the surface that is bogged down here over the past millennia.
The indigenous inhabitants of the island have long been aware of the unique properties of liquid asphalt, which is why all canoes of the Peach Lake Indians are saturated with moisture-protecting material.
The asphalt pond, supplying material to 50 countries of the world, is famous among visiting tourists who are in a hurry to walk around a natural phenomenon. The local population warns that you can’t stand on an oscillating surface for a long time - you can get bogged down and sink to the bottom. Therefore, special care is required when visiting an ancient lake formed by natural means.