page_title: Lagoa do Fogo
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Lagoa do Fogo / Geography
caption_attribution_description: Português: Lagoa do Fogo, Miradouro da Serra da Barrosa, Vila Franca do Campo, ilha de São Miguel, Açores
context_page_description: Lagoa do Fogo is a crater lake within the Água de Pau Massif stratovolcano in the center of the island of São Miguel in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The highest lake located on the island of São Miguel, the region is protected by governmental regulation that does not permit any constructions around the lake.
context_section_description: Lagoa do Fogo is one of the largest of the waterbodies in the Azores, and occupies the central caldera of the Água de Pau Massif, in the central area of the island of São Miguel. The caldera is the youngest volcano on the island of São Miguel, formed approximately 15 000 years ago, resulting from the collapse at the top of the volcano, some 5000 years ago. The last eruption occurred in 1563. It falls within the borders of the civil parishes of Conceição, Matriz and Água de Alto, in the municipalities of Ribeira Grande and Vila Franca do Campo, respectively.
  It is part of the hydrological watershed of the same name. The margins of the lake are located 575 metres (1,886 ft) above sea level, although the crater rim, which extends to Pico da Barrosa is located at approximately 949 metres (3,114 ft) altitude. The internal flanks of the crater (characterized by abrupt 48º cliffs) are occupied by the elliptical lake, 3 by 2.5 kilometres (1.9 mi × 1.6 mi) and 30 metres (98 ft) deep.
  The carved relief affects the course of hydrographic run-off, which is accentuated by torrential precipitation in the region, resulting in accentuated erosion and deposition along the margins. A majority of the watercourses are temporary or torrential, with the greatest run-off occurring in the winter, and little in the summer, with few permanent ravines. There are only two permanent effluents in the lake, one to the western crater rim in Barrosa, and the other in the south-southeast. The lake is maintained from mainly, direct precipitation over the caldera and from superficial run-off from the watersheds, where nutrient infiltration is common. The lake's waters support local aquifers in the lowlands and provide potable water to the settlements in the southern flanks of the caldera.
caption: A view of the lake from the scenic overlook of Pico do Barrosa
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