Lowest Land Points Below Sea Level Map | Depression Elevations By David K. Lynch, Thule Scientific Each pushpin on the map above marks the lowest point in one of Earth's ten structural depressions with the lowest land elevations. Use the controls in the upper left corner of the map to zoom in for a closer look. You can change from satellite images to maps with the controls in the upper right corner. Thanks to Google for letting us use their services to make this fun map and to Brad Cole for creating it! Introduction: Dozens of land areas of the Earth sit below current sea level. The ten with the lowest elevations are listed below, along with a Google Map showing their locations. The lowest land area is the shoreline of the Dead Sea Depression and the largest below-sea-level depression by surface area is the Caspian Depression. A total of 33 countries have land below sea level. What Causes Most Below-Sea-Level Depressions? Most major depressions are associated with tectonic plate boundaries. They form when converging plates deform or when spreading centers open. A few are volcanic in origin.

Most of these depressions are in the northern hemisphere for a good reason: this is where most of the land is and where most of the plate boundaries occur. Many are found in the vicinity of where the African, Arabian and Eurasian plates meet. Most are found in hot desert regions of the planet where high evaporation rates prevent them from filling with water. A few are found in temperature climes. Many well-populated places in the world are below sea level. About a third of the Netherlands including Schiphol Airport is below sea level. So too are the Jordan River and parts of many coastal cities including New Orleans and Bangkok. Other regions below sea level are the Enriquillo-Cul de Sac Depression (Hispaniola), Chott Melrhir Depression (Algeria), Sebkhet Shunayn and Sabkhat Ghuzayyil (Libya), Shatt al Gharsah (Tunisia), Lammefjord (Denmark), Sebkha Tah (Morocco), Hachiro-gata (Japan), Sariqarnish Kuli (Uzbekistan), The Fens (UK) and Lake Eyre, Australia.

Of the two hundred and fifty five recognized countries or protectorates in the world, 33 have land below sea level . Most of these are only a few meters down. Some below-sea-level depressions are dry, most others have salt lakes. The lakes are undrained, which means water flows in but does not flow out. Since water cannot flow up hill, the lakes cannot empty into the sea like most do and so they accumulate salt as their waters evaporate. Where does the salt originate? Some of it comes from ancient sea floor salt deposits that have been uplifted then weather and release the salt which reaches the depressions via rivers. Many other rocks weather to yield sodium and chlorine ions that are carried to the lake by rivers. The Sea of Galilee is below sea Level but is a freshwater lake because it drains into the Dead Sea through the Jordan River. Owing to variations in rainfall, evaporation rates, and human water use, most of the lake levels fluctuate from year to year. Some have come and gone in historic times. The present Salton Sea was produced by a canal construction accident in 1905, though the lake has come and gone naturally many times in the last thousand years.

The lowest exposed land on Earth is at the Dead Sea shore, at -413 meters. The deepest lake bottom in a below-sea-level depression also belongs to the Dead Sea at -750 meters. Lake Baikal in Russia is at an elevation of 447 meters, but with a maximum depth of 1637 meters, its bottom lies at -1190 meters. The Bentley Subglacial Trench in Antarctica reaches 2555 meters below sea level. It is the lowest point on Earth that is not covered by ocean, although it is covered by ice. The trench is huge, roughly the size of Mexico. The deepest point on the ocean floors is -10,916 meters in the Mariana Trench. Trenches are the upper most parts of subduction zones and there are dozens of trench locations that are more than 5000 meters below sea level. Strictly speaking, most of the surface of the Earth is below sea level because oceans cover 71 % of the planet. But sea level varies and during the Great Ice Age 18,000 years ago, sea level was 130 meters lower.

Today, large areas are under water that during the Great Ice Age were well above sea level. It is also likely that long ago and far into the future, plate tectonics will produce higher mountains and deeper trenches and depressions than we have today. The Dead Sea is located in a deep valley at the transform boundary between the African and Arabia Plates (shown as a black line on the map above). At over 400 meters below sea level, it is the land area with the lowest elevation. The motions of the African and Arabian Plates, combined with the motion of shear-zone faulting has resulted in the formation of the deep Dead Sea Depression. Image by the United States Geological Survey. Most land that is below sea level is located in an area with a very dry climate. The dry climate offers very little rain and very high evaporation. This excess of evaporation over precipitation prevents the depression from filling with water. The photo above shows salt deposits of the Dead Sea - a product of high evaporation rate. Image copyright by iStockPhoto and Steven Allan. New Orleans is a city below sea level. It is protected from flooding by seawalls and an extensive groundwater pumping system. NASA Landsat image composed by Angela King.

The Ten Depressions with the Lowest Dry Land 1) Dead Sea Depression - The lowest point on Earth Elevation: 413 meters below sea level (approximate and fluctuating) Country: Israel, Jordan, Syria Latitude/Longitude: 31°32′N 35°29′E The Dead Sea Depression is an extensive area of land that is below sea level. It contains the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, a portion of the Jordan River, large areas of cultivated land and many communities. The shoreline of the Dead Sea is the lowest dry land on Earth. It is approximately 413 meters below sea level. However, this elevation is constantly changing. The surface of the Dead Sea rises and falls as precipitation, evaporation, irrigation, salt production and other natural and human activities consume the water of the Jordan River, the Dead Sea and its tributaries.

2) Lake Assal (in the Afar Depression) Elevation: 155 meters below sea level (approximate and fluctuating) Country: Djibouti Latitude/Longitude: 11°39′N 42°25′E The shoreline of Lake Assal is the lowest point in Africa and the second lowest location on Earth. Lake Assal is located in the Afar Depression which is formed at a triple junction of tectonic plates (Indian, African and Arabian). The relative motion of these plates produces a divergence that results in a lowering of Earth's surface. Lake Assal's water emerges from springs which are believed to be fed by groundwater flow from the Gulf of Tadjoura. This water evaporates rapidly because the climate there is one of the hottest and driest on Earth. This high evaporation rate makes Lake Assal the saltiest body of water on Earth.

3) Turfan Depression Lake Eyre - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com Lake Eyre Definitions of Lake Eyre 1 n a shallow salt lake in south central Australia about 35 feet below sea level; the largest lake in the country and the lowest point on the continent Synonyms: Lake Eyre Facts Lake Eyre Facts 5 Current Lake Eyre Water Levels All the most sought-after Lake Eyre Facts Lake Eyre is the largest salt lake in Australia and a place that captures the imagination of many people. Don’t forget to visit our page on Lake Eyre National Park and our Lake Eyre Travel Advice page if you’re thinking about taking a trip to this remote part of Australia.

Facts and Figures: Here’s what everyone wants to know about Lake Eyre, like where it is, what it is, how big it is and how often does it fill up: Lake Eyre is Australia’s largest salt lake It’s located 647 km north east of Adelaide, in the state of South Australia Lake Eyre is actually comprised of 2 lakes: Lake Eyre North and Lake Eyre South The lakes are connected by the Goyder Channel, which is 15 km long Together, both lakes are 144km long and 77km wide Lake Eyre is the lowest point below sea level on the Australian mainland (15.2m below sea level) Lake Eyre is the focal point of Australia’s second largest drainage system, the Lake Eyre Basin The Lake Eyre Basin covers over 1 million square kilometres The Lake was named after explorer Edward John Eyre, the first European to see it in 1840 Lake Eyre experiences a small (1.5 m) flood every 3 years, a large (4 m) flood every 10 years and fills an average of only four times each century!

Access There are a few things that you’ll need to know if you want to visit. Lake Eyre can be reached via the Oodnadatta Track . There are three places to see it: At Lake Eyre South, easy access from the Oodnadatta Track via pull in bay Near William Creek via the Halligan Bay Track (rough 4WD only track) Near Marree via Muloorina Station and the Level Post Bay Track (rough 4WD only track) Lake Eyre travel advice and safety tips can be found on this page. History: One interesting fact about the Lake is that it’s been an important site for Arabunna and other Aboriginal people for several thousand years. Aboriginal people continue to consider the lake an important cultural site and are involved in its management today. Even though Lake Eyre is one of the driest places in Australia, the waterways and mound springs encouraged European settlement in the 1860s. Pastoralists had established many cattle stations in the area by the mid 1880s, although many of these were abandoned during a drought in the 1890s and early 1900s.

The largest cattle station in Australia, Anna Creek, is located on the south-eastern side of Lake Eyre. The Lake Eyre National Park was established in 1985, whilst the Elliot Price Conservation Area was donated by Elliot Price of Muloorina Station in 1967. There is no public access to this conservation area. Lake Eyre Water Levels Lake Eyre’s water levels mainly depend on the annual monsoon and how much rain falls in the lake’s catchment in Queensland and the Northern Territory. The water entering Lake Eyre comes mostly from the rivers from the northeast (in Queensland), which flow down from the Channel Country. A smaller amount of water comes down from Northern Territory from the Finke River catchment, via the Macumba River. Generally, it takes around 6-8 weeks for water from the Channel Country to reach the lake. Lesser amounts of water come from local rainfall. Local rainfall filled the lake in 1984 and 1989. However, it is the strength of the tropical monsoon that determines if water reaches the lake and how much water it will receive. The deepest water level ever recorded in the lake was 6 metres, in 1974.

One of the more disturbing facts is that as water fills the lake, the salinity increases and causes a massive fish kill. (Yes, there are about 6 or 7 species of fish which live in the lake!). Once the lake is full, however, it’s no more salty than the sea. As the lake dries up and the wter evaporates, its salinity increases again. During this time Lake Eyre often appears to turn ‘pink’. This is in fact caused by a pigment found within an algae species that lives in the lake. Current Lake Eyre Water Levels In early 2010, massive summer rains in Queensland saw the Diamantina, Georgina and Cooper Creeks flood into the Lake Eyre Basin. This was the first time that Cooper Creek had reached Lake Eyre since 1990. Over winter in 2010, hundred of thousands of pelicans, gulls, avocets and other waterbirds migrated to the area and began breeding. The lake filled by mid-year, and saw many tourists visiting to see this once-in-a-lifetime event.

More recently, heavy rain in summer 2011 (Jan-March) has filled the southern end of the lake, and also caused many of the creeks in the north-east to flow into the lake once more. The satellite photo above shows water from Coopers Creek flowing down into Madigan’s Bay in winter 2010. Good follow-up rains in 2011 and early 2012 throughout the catchment area meant that water levels in the lake remained high. However, over autumn and winter 2012, much of the water in the lake has now evapourated. As of November 2012, there is less than 5% coverage of Lake Eyre by water. Lake Eyre National Park, South Australia - Tourism Australia Add Share The vast expanse of shimmering dry white salt lake is matched only by the impossibly blue vast desert sky. Lake Eyre, in the Lake Eyre National Park around 700 kilometres north of Adelaide, is an extraordinary oasis in the harsh South Australian outback. The Lake Eyre Basin covers an astonishing 1 million square kilometres and crosses the borders of South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.

Lake Eyre itself, which is actually two lakes connected by a channel, is 144 km long and 77 km wide. It's the largest salt lake in Australia, but one that is rarely filled with water. The Lake Eyre region is also the driest and lowest geographical point in Australia. The traditional owners of the Lake Eyre region, the Arabana people, have lived in the Lake Eyre Basin for thousands of years. The lake continues to be an important cultural site for Aboriginal people. Lake Eyre was named after explorer Edward John Eyre, the first European to see it in 1840. In the mid-1880s, many new settlers began farming in the area. One of these farms, Anna Creek, is now the largest cattle property in Australia. Lake Eyre's water levels mainly depend on the annual monsoon and how much rain falls in the lake's catchment in Queensland and the Northern Territory . The strength of the tropical monsoon determines if water reaches the lake and how much water it will receive. Water from these three state catchment areas covers the lake about once every eight years. The lake has only filled to capacity three times in the last 160 years.

When the lake floods, it creates an amazing natural spectacle. The air is filled with the sound and sight of huge numbers of waterbirds which flock to the area. The usually stark landscape comes alive with the rich colours of wildflowers and a sea of green foliage. The different levels of salty water can be seen as remarkable swirling current patterns which stretch as far as the eye can see. As the lake dries up and the water evaporates, its salinity increases and it often appears to turn pink. When empty, the lake becomes a giant salt pan, with white crystals reflecting the sunlight. The best place to view the lake from land is from Halligan Bay. After the rains, you can also enjoy the lake by boat or kayak. By far the best way to appreciate the vast lake is from the air. Several local tour operators run sightseeing flights over the lake, particularly when it is flooded. There are several other salt lakes in the area, some of which are heritage-listed for their rare fossils. Lake Eyre National Park is located 60km east of William Creek off the Oodnadatta Track . The track is suitable for 4WD vehicles and experienced drivers only. Extra supplies of fuel, food and water should be taken.

Roads can be closed due to flooding. The best time to visit is April to October. From the Lake Eyre National Park you could also visit the famed outback town of Oodnadatta; the opal town of Coober Pedy , or the Simpson Desert . More Holiday Ideas See what else there is near here to inspire your holiday planning. Guide to Flinders Ranges Lowest Point By Continent (Below Sea Level) - InfopediaPk - All facts in one site Lowest Point By Continent (Below Sea Level) Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan Elevation Below Sea Level A view from the Israeli side looking across to Jordan Dead Sea Lowest Point In Asia The Dead Sea (Arabic: البحر الميت Al-Bahr al-Mayyit or less commonly bahr lut,بحر لوط, "the Sea of Lot", Hebrew: Yam Ha-Melah, "Sea of Salt",Urdu بحیرہ مردار), also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are 422 metres (1,385 ft) below sea level,the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface on dry land.

The Dead Sea is 378 m (1,240 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. It is 8.6 or 9 times more salty than the ocean.This salinity makes for a harsh environment where animals cannot flourish, hence its name. The Dead Sea is 67 kilometres (42 mi) long and 18 kilometres (11 mi) wide at its widest point. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River. The Dead Sea has attracted visitors from around the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years. It was one of the world's first health resorts (for Herod the Great), and it has been the supplier of a wide variety of products, from balms for Egyptian mummification to potash (Potassium,K) for fertilizers. People also use the salt and the minerals from the Dead Sea to create cosmetics and herbal sachets. In 2009, 1.2 million foreign tourists visited on the Israeli side. The sea has a density of 1.24 kg/L, making swimming difficult but providing a relaxing floating experience for tourists.

Climate The Dead Sea's climate offers year-round sunny skies and dry air. It has less than 100 millimetres (3.94 in) mean annual rainfall and a summer average temperature between 32 and 39 °C (90 and 102 °F). Winter average temperatures range between 20 and 23 °C (68 and 73 °F). Religious View According to the tradition of Islam, the Dead Sea was near the land in which the Prophet Lut lived. The people in this area were considered wicked for their acts of homosexuality, robbery and murder, and therefore Allah had ordained punishment to the people of Lut for these deeds. The punishment arrived when three angels in the form of handsome men were sent down by Allah as guests for Lut to host. When Lut's people heard of the men, they rushed to Lut's house and said that those men were very handsome and they wanted to marry them. This was the final test for the people of Lut in which they failed, so the angel Jibrail raised the land where the prophet's people lived, tipped it upside down and threw it back on earth, causing the ground near the impact to cave in.

Thus, the lowest land on Earth was formed because of this punishment. The non-believers (in the monotheism doctrine) were destroyed and the followers were saved. Modern times Explorers and scientists arrived in the area to analyze the minerals and research the unique climate. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, hundreds of religious documents dated between 150 BCE and 70 CE were found in caves near the ancient settlement of Qumran, about a mile inland from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea (presently in the West Bank). They became known and famous as the Dead Sea Scrolls. A golf course named for Sodom and Gomorrah was built by the British at Kalia on the northern shore. The world's lowest road, Highway 90, runs along the Israeli and West Bank shores of the Dead Sea at 393 m (1,289 ft) below sea level. The first major hotels were built in nearby Arad, and since the 1960s at the Neve Zohar resort complex.

On Jordanian side, three international franchises have opened seaside resort hotels near the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center along the eastern coast of the Dead Sea. Lake Assal Lake Assal Lowest Point In Africa Lake Assal (French: Lac Assal) is a crater lake (A crater lake is a lake that forms in a volcanic crater or caldera, such as a maar, or in an impact crater caused by a meteorite) in central Djibouti, located at the southern border of Tadjoura Region, touching Dikhil Region, some 120 km (75 mi) west of Djibouti city (Capital of the Republic of Djibouti). It lies 155 m (509 ft) below sea level in the Afar Depression and its shores comprise the lowest point on land in Africa and the second lowest land depression on Earth after the Dead Sea. It measures 19 by 7 km (4.3 mi) and has an area of 54 km2 (21 sq mi).

The maximum depth is 40 m (130 ft), whereas the mean depth is 7.4 m (24 ft), which makes for a water volume of 400 million cubic metres (320,000 acre·ft). The catchment area measures 900 km2 (350 sq mi), and there is just a residual runoff of fresh water into the lake. Lake Assal is considered the most saline body of water on earth outside Antarctica, with 34.8 percent salt concentration (up to 40% at 20 m (66 ft) depth), similar to Garabogazköl and higher than the 33.7 percent level in the Dead Sea (often incorrectly considered the world's most saline lake), and an average of 3.5 percent in the world's oceans. Only some hypersaline lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica such as Don Juan Pond have a higher salinity. One thing that makes Assal unique is that, unlike the other major hypersaline lakes of the world, its major source of water is not from incoming streams.

The sources of the lake are hot springs whose salinity is close to sea water, which are fed by the Gulf of Tadjoura (French: Golfe de Tadjoura), the western extension of the Gulf of Aden, specifically the nearly closed-off bay Ghoubet Kharab, about 10 km southeast of the lake. The area is wild and desert-like, and no fauna or flora can be seen in the syrupy waters of the lake. The high temperature of the water (33-34 °C) favors evaporation, and it is surrounded by a salt pan (extending west and mainly northwest). The salt is mined and transported by caravan to Ethiopia. In Death Valley National Park. Badwater Basin Lowest Point In North America Badwater Basin is an endorheic basin in Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo County, California, noted as the lowest point in North America, with an elevation of 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. The site itself consists of a small spring-fed pool of "bad water" next to the road in a sink; the accumulated salts of the surrounding basin make it undrinkable, thus giving it the name.

The pool does have animal and plant life, including pickleweed, aquatic insects, and the Badwater snail. Adjacent to the pool, where water is not always present at the surface, repeated freeze–thaw and evaporation cycles gradually push the thin salt crust into hexagonal honeycomb shapes. The pool itself is not actually the lowest point of the basin: the lowest point (which is only slightly lower) is several miles to the west and varies in position. However, the salt flats are hazardous to traverse (in many cases being only a thin white crust over mud), and so the sign is at the pool. The area is often mistakenly described as the lowest elevation in the Western Hemisphere, however, the record goes to Laguna del Carbón in Argentina at -105 m (−344 ft). At Badwater, significant rainstorms flood the valley bottom periodically, covering the salt pan with a thin sheet of standing water. Each newly-formed lake does not last long though, because the 1.9 in (48 mm) of average rainfall is overwhelmed by a 150 in (3,800 mm) annual evaporation rate.

This, the United States' greatest evaporation potential, means that even a 12-foot-deep, 30-mile-long lake would dry up in a single year. While the basin is flooded, some of the salt is dissolved; it is redeposited as clean crystals when the water evaporates. A popular site for tourists is the sign marking "sea level" on the cliff above Badwater. Laguna del carbon Lowest Point In South America Laguna del Carbón (Spanish: Coal Lagoon) is an endorheic salt lake in the Gran Bajo de San Julián (Great San Julián Depression) of Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, 54 km from Puerto San Julián. At 105 metres (344 ft) below sea level, it is the lowest point of both the Western and Southern Hemispheres, and the seventh lowest point on Earth.As in several other locations in Patagonia, dinosaur fossils have been found in the area.

Lake Eyre salt crust Lake Eyre Lowest Point In Australia Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately 15 m (49 ft) (AHD) below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is the largest lake in Australia. It is the focal point of the vast Lake Eyre Basin and is found some 700 km (435 mi) north of Adelaide. The lake was named after Edward John Eyre who was the first European to sight it in 1840. It is located in the deserts of central Australia, in northern South Australia. The Eyre Basin is a large endorheic system surrounding the lakebed, the lowest part of which is filled with the characteristic salt pan caused by the seasonal expansion and subsequent evaporation of the trapped waters. Even in the dry season there is usually some water remaining in Lake Eyre, normally collecting in a number of smaller sub-lakes on the playa. Typically a 1.5 m (5 ft) flood occurs every three years, a 4 m (13 ft) flood every decade, and a fill or near fill four times a century.

The water in the lake soon evaporates with a minor and medium flood drying by the end of the following summer. An aerial view of the southern Caspian coast as viewed from atop the Alborz mountains in Mazandaran, Iran The Caspian Sea Lowest Point In Europe The Caspian Sea Persian: دریای خزر or دریای مازندران, Russian: Каспийское море, Kazakh: Каспий теңізі, Turkmen: Hazar deňzi,Azerbaijani: Xəzər dənizi) is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea.The sea has a surface area of 371,000 km2 (143,200 sq mi) (Not including Garabogazköl Aylagy) and a volume of 78,200 km3 (18,800 cu mi).It is in an endorheic basin (it has no outflows) and is bounded by northern Iran, southern Russia, western Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, and eastern Azerbaijan.

The ancient inhabitants of its littoral perceived the Caspian Sea as an ocean, probably because of its saltiness and seeming boundlessness. It has a salinity of approximately 1.2%, about a third the salinity of most seawater. The Caspian Sea has been called Gilan (جیلان or بحر جیلان) on ancient maps. In Iran, it is sometimes referred to as Daryâ-ye Mazandaran (دریای مازندران), meaning "the Sea of Mazandaran" in Persian. Over 130 rivers provide inflow to the Caspian, with the Volga River being the largest. A second affluent, the Ural River, flows in from the north, and the Kura River flows into the sea from the west. In the past, the Amu Darya (Oxus) of Central Asia in the east often changed course to empty into the Caspian through a now-desiccated riverbed called the Uzboy River, as did the Syr Darya farther north.

The Caspian also has several small islands; they are primarily located in the North and have a collective land area of roughly 2,000 km2 (770 sq mi). Adjacent to the North Caspian is the Caspian Depression, a low-lying region 28 metres (92 ft) below sea level.Is the lowest point in europe. Create a free website World Land Areas and Elevations World > Geography World Land Areas and Elevations The following table lists the approximate land area, highest elevation, and lowest elevation of the world's continents, including Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America, according to the World Atlas. Area Mt. Everest, Tibet-Nepal, 29,035 ft. (8,850 m)1 Dead Sea, Israel-Jordan, 1,349 ft. below sea level (–411 m) AFRICA Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, 19,340 ft. (5,895 m) Lake Assal, Djibouti, 512 ft.

below sea level (–156 m) ANTARCTICA Vinson Massif, Ellsworth Mts., 16,066 ft. (4,897 m) Lowest land point hidden within Bentley Subglacial Trench2 ASIA (includes the Mt. Everest, Tibet-Nepal, 29,035 ft. (8,850 m) Dead Sea, Israel-Jordan, 1,349 ft. below sea level (–411 m) AUSTRALIA Mt. Kosciusko, Australia, 7,310 ft. (2,228 m) Lake Eyre, Australia, 52 ft. below sea level (–12 m) EUROPE (the Ural Mountains in Russia form the boundary between Europe and Asia) 9,938,000 Mt. Elbrus, Russia/Georgia, 18,510 ft. (5,642 m) Caspian Sea, Russia/Kazakhstan 92 ft. below sea level (–28 m) NORTH AMERICA (includes Central America and the Caribbean) Mt.

McKinley, Alaska, 20,320 ft. (6,194 m) Death Valley, Calif., 282 ft. below sea level (–86 m) SOUTH AMERICA (6,960 m) Valdes Peninsula, Argentina 131 ft. below sea level (–40 m) 1. The 1954 elevation of Everest, 29,028 ft. (8,848 m) was revised on Nov. 11, 1999, and now stands at 29,035 ft. (8,850 m). 2. Bentley Subglacial Trench itself (ice, not land) is –8,327 ft. below sea level (–2,538 m). Source: WorldAtlas.com.

SALT Australian Documentary Film Movie Info > About Lake Eyre Surface elevation: -15 m (−49 ft) Lake Eyre (pronounced "air") is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately 15 m (49 ft) (AHD) below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, becomes the largest lake in Australia. It is the focal point of the vast Lake Eyre Basin and is found some 700km north of Adelaide. Location and Size Lake Eyre sits surrounded by deserts in the remote North of outback South Australia. Lake Eyre is Australia's largest Lake and covers an area of 1,349,251ha. The drainage basin for Lake Eyre covers 1/6th of Australia and is the size of France, Germany and Italy combined. Geography The Lake is a giant salt sink, an evaporation basin that sits, on average, 15m below sea level. The Lake receives water from either the massive river systems that feed into it, or local rainfall that falls on, or in, the Lake surrounds. The 'phenomenon' of water reaching the Lake is categorized into 'major' and 'minor' floodings.

Major floodings are declared once both Lake Eyre North and Lake Eyre South are filled with water flowing through the Goyder Channel that connects both lakes. In the last 200 years there have been only 3 major floodings, the last of which occurred in 1974. A major flooding requires exceptional rainfalls along all the river systems that feed the lake and also high rainfall in the local area. Minor floodings occur when the Lake fills to the edges and occur around once every ten years. When significant rain falls in the area (a rare occurrence) water forms pools on the Lake which can remain for some weeks. Murray was lucky enough to be at the Lake for some of the only significant rain in the last few years, and much of the exhibition work was produced while living in the giant puddles out on the Lake. Lake Eyre - 必应 Sign in Lake Eyre Lake Eyre (/ˈɛər/ AIR), officially known as Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, contains the lowest natural point in Australia , at approximately 15 m (49 ft) below sea level (AHD), and, on the rare occasions that it fills, is the largest lake in Australia .

The shallow endorheic lake is the depocentre of the vast Lake Eyre basin and is found in Northern South Australia , some 700 km (435 mi) north of Adelaide. The lake was named in honour of Edward John Eyre, who was the first European to see it, in 1840. The lake's official name was changed in December 201 ... (展开) 2 to combine the name "Lake Eyre" with the indigenous name, Kati Thanda. Native title over the lake and surrounding region is held by the Arabana people. 莱克·艾尔(澳大利亚)占地3668平方英里( 9500 km&#178；) 答 Lake Eyre Geography Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre is located in the deserts of central Australia, in northern South Australia. The Lake Eyre Basin is a large endorheic system surrounding the lakebed, the lowest part of which is filled with the characteristic salt pan caused by the seasonal expansion and subsequent evaporation of the trapped waters.

Even in the dry season there is usually some water remaining in Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, normally collecting in over 200 smaller sub-lakes within its margins. The lake was formed by aeolian processes after tectonic upwarping occurred to the south subsequent to the end of the Pleistocene epoch. During the rainy season the rivers from the north-east part of the Lake Eyre Basin (in outback (south-west and central) Queensland) flow towards the lake through the Channel Country. The amount of water from the monsoon determines whether water will reach the lake and if it does, how deep the lake will get. The average rainfall in the area of the lake is 100 to 150 millimetres (3.9 to 5.9 in) per year. The −15 m (−49 ft) altitude usually attributed to Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre refers to the deepest parts of the lake floor, in Belt Bay and the Madigan Gulf. The shoreline lies at −9 m (−30 ft). The lake is the area of maximum deposition of sediment in the Lake Eyre Basin.

Lake Eyre is divided into two sections which are joined by the Goyder Channel. These are known as Lake Eyre North, which is 144 kilometres (89 mi) in length and 65 kilometres (40 mi) wide, and Lake Eyre South, which measures 65 by 24 kilometres (40 by 15 mi). The salt crusts are thickest (up to 50 cm (20 in)) in the southern Belt Bay, Jackboot Bay and Madigan Gulf sub-basins of Lake Eyre North. Since 1883, proposals have been made to flood Lake Eyre with seawater brought to the basin via a canal or pipeline. The purpose was, in part, to increase evaporation and thereby increase rainfall in the region downwind of an enlarged Lake Eyre. Due to the basin's low elevation below sea level and the region's high annual evaporation rate (between 2,500 and 3,500 millimetres (98 and 138 in)), such schemes have generally been considered impractical as it is likely that accumulation of salt deposits would rapidly block the engineered channel.

Lake Eyre Floods Typically a 1.5 m (5 ft) flood occurs every three years, a 4 m (13 ft) flood every decade, and a fill or near fill a few times a century. The water in the lake soon evaporates with a minor or medium flood drying by the end of the following summer. Most of the water entering the lakes arrives via Warburton River. In strong La Niña years the lake can fill. Since 1885 this has occurred in 1886–1887, 1889–1890, 1916–1917, 1950, 1955, 1974–1977, and 1999-2001, with the highest flood of 6 m (20 ft) in 1974. Local rain can also fill Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre to 3–4 m (9.8–13.1 ft) as occurred in 1984 and 1989.

Torrential rain in January 2007 took about six weeks to reach the lake but put only a small amount of water into it. When recently flooded the lake is almost fresh and native freshwater fish, including bony bream (Nematolosa erebi), the Lake Eyre Basin sub-species of golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) and various small hardyhead species (Craterocephalus spp.) can survive in it. The salinity increases as the 450 mm (18 in) salt crust dissolves over a period of six months resulting in a massive fish kill. When over 4 m (13 ft) deep the lake is no more salty than the sea, but salinity increases as the water evaporates, with saturation occurring at about a 500 mm (20 in) depth. The lake takes on a pink hue when saturated due to the presence of beta-carotene pigment caused by the algae Dunaliella salina.

2009 to 2011 The 2009 Lake Eyre flood peaked at 1.5 m (5 ft) deep in late May, which is a quarter of its maximum recorded depth of 6 m (20 ft). 9 km3 (2 cu mi) of water crossed the Queensland–South Australian border with most of it coming from massive floods in the Georgina River. However, owing to the very low rainfall in the lower reaches of these rivers (contrasting with heavy rainfall in the upper catchments) the greater proportion soaked into the desert or evaporated en route to the lake, leaving less than 4 km3 (0.96 cu mi) in the lake which covered an area of 800 km2 (309 sq mi) or 12% of the total. As the flood did not start filling the lake's deepest point (Belt Bay) until late March, little bird life appeared preferring instead to nest in the upper reaches of the Lake Eyre Basin, north of Birdsville, where large lakes appeared in January as a result of monsoonal rain.

The high rainfall in summer 2010 sent flood water into the Diamantina, Georgina and Cooper Creek catchments of the Lake Eyre basin, with the Cooper Creek reaching the lake for the first time since 1990. The higher rainfall has prompted many different birds to migrate back to the area for breeding. Heavy local rain in early March 2011 in the Stuart Creek and Warriner catchments filled Lake Eyre South, with Lake Eyre North about 75 per cent covered with water firstly from the Neales and Macumba and later from the Warburton River. Lake Eyre Yacht club The Lake Eyre Yacht Club is a dedicated group of sailors who sail on the lake's floods, including recent trips in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2009.

A number of 6 m (20 ft) trailer sailers sailed on Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre in 1975, 1976, and 1984 when the flood depth reached 3–6 m (9.8–19.7 ft). In July 2010 The Yacht Club held its first regatta since 1976 and its first on Lake Killamperpunna, a freshwater lake on Cooper Creek. The Cooper had reached Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre for the first time since 1990. When the lake is full, a notable phenomenon is that around midday the surface can often become very flat. The surface then reflects the sky in a way that leaves both the horizon and water surface virtually impossible to see. The commodore of the Lake Eyre Yacht Club has stated that sailing during this time has the appearance of sailing in the sky. Lake Eyre References ^ a b "New name adopted for outback Lake Eyre". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 19 December 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012. ^ "Federal Court awards native title over Lake Eyre".

ABC News (Australia). 23 May 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2012. ^ a b c d O'Sullivan, Patrick; C. S. Reynolds (2008). The Lakes Handbook: Lake Restoration and Rehabilitation, Volume 2. John Wiley & Sons. pp.233–235. ISBN1405141107. Retrieved 23 December 2012. ^ Lake Eyre. International Lake Environment Committee. Retrieved 29 March 2012. ^ Laity, Julie J. (2009). Deserts and Desert Environments. John Wiley & Sons. p.112. ISBN1444300741. Retrieved 20 December 2012. ^ Rafferty, John P. (2007). Lakes and Wetland. The Rosen Publishing Group. p.186. ISBN1615303200. Retrieved 20 December 2012. ^ Dulhunty, J.A.

(1990): Lake Eyre, In: M.J. Tyler, C.R. Twidale, M. Davis and C.B. Walker, Natural History of the North East Deserts. Royal Society of South Australia Inc. Pp. 101-4. ISBN 0-9596627-5-8 ^ Badescu, V., Cathcart, R.B., Bolonkin, A.A., Paulescu, M. and Gravila, P. (2013) Macro-engineering Australia's Lake Eyre with imported seawater. International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development 12: 264-284. ^ Badman, F.J. (1991): Introduction. In: F.J. Badman, B.K. Arnold and S.L. Belt, A Natural History of the Lake Eyre Region. The South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service's Northern Consultative Committee. P 1. ISBN 0 646 07183 1 ^ The Plan To Fill Lake Eyre TROVE: The Sydney Morning Herald, 27 May 1954.

Retrieved 8 February 2016. ^ Allen, Robert J.; The Australasian Summer Monsoon, Teleconnections, and Flooding in the Lake Eyre Basin; published 1985 by Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, S.A. Branch; ISBN 0-909112-09-6 ^ Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Annual Climate Summary (2000) ^ "Lake Eyre flooding attracts yachting club interest". ABC News (Australia). 8 March 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2007. ^ Australian Annual Climate Summary 2009 ^ Lake Eyre floods again, Australian Geographic, 15 July 2010 ^ "Flooding and storms fill outback lake". ABC News (Australia). 9 March 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2012. ^ "Lake Eyre begins filling with water after soaking rains". ABC News. Retrieved 2016-01-04. ^ Welcome to the Lake Eyre Yacht Club. Retrieved 29 March 2012. ^ TCR, White (2005).

Why Does the World Stay Green?: Nutrition and Survival of Plant-eaters. Csiro Publishing. p.88. ISBN0643099816. Retrieved 20 December 2012. ^ Birds set to return to Lake Eyre to breed as inland lakes fill with water ABC News, 6 January 2016. Accessed 6 January 2016. ^ "Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park Map" (PDF). Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 5 February 2015. ^ Eyles, Kathy (2001). A Directory of important wetlands in Australia (PDF) (3 ed.). Environment Australia. p.78. ISBN978-0-642-54721-7. Retrieved 4 February 2015. ^ "Important Bird Areas factsheet: Lake Eyre". Birdata. Birdlife International. Retrieved 5 February 2015.

The Lowest Points On Each Of The World's Continents - WorldAtlas.com Geography The Lowest Points On Each Of The World's Continents The Dead Sea, Caspian Sea, and Death Valley are the lowest points in Asia, Europe, and North America, respectively. The salt-brimmed coast of the Dead Sea, earth's lowest exposed point. Sea level is the sea’s surface level at around the point where it meets the land halfway between the mean high and low tides. Sea level is not constant and is subject to fluctuations due to changing climatic conditions and in different localities. The term mean sea level was coined to refer to the measure of the average height of the sea’s surface over a long period. The measurement is used as the basis to determine elevations and depths of Earth’s geographical surfaces. The lowest points of each of the world’s continents are discussed below. The Lowest Points Of Each Of The World's Continents Dead Sea The continent of Asia has the absolute lowest point on earth , namely the Dead Sea at an elevation of -1,401 feet below sea level. Its surface and coastline border Israel to its west and Jordan to its east. The Dead Sea is a landlocked salt lake and is fed primarily by the Jordan River .

The Dead Sea has an unusual level of salinity which gives it natural buoyancy. People easily float on the surface of the Dead Sea. The lake has deposits of asphalt which float upon its surface. It gained its name because it is hard for marine plants and animals to survive in such saline conditions. The water from the Dead Sea is believed to have cosmetic and health benefits. Miles of desert surround the Dead Sea with warm, dry, and sunny climatic conditions. Lake Assal Lake Assal in Djibouti, Africa is the second lowest point on Earth with an elevation of -509 feet. Lake Assal has the greatest depth in the African continent. It is a highly saline lake and serves an economic purpose for the inhabitants through the selling of its salt deposits. The region around Lake Assal is characterized by extremely high temperatures of more than 50 Degrees Celsius during the day. These temperatures cause high levels of evaporation in the Lake such that the salt deposits form a single dense carpet. Lake Assal is located in the middle of a desert characterized by scarcity of vegetation except for a few shrubs and thorny bushes. The lake does not support other marine life besides abundant bacteria. It is a crater and volcanic lake.

Lake Assal is considered to be the saltiest lake in the world. Laguna del Carbón The third lowest point in the world is found in Argentina, South America namely the Laguna del Carbón at an elevation of -344 feet. It is an endorheic salt water lake and has the lowest point in the Southern and Western Hemispheres. The lake region has plenty of salt marshes. It is located around 54 kilometers from the city of Puerto San Julian. Fossils have been found around the area making the lake an important archaeological zone. There is little tourist activity on the lake. Death Valley Death Valley is the fourth lowest point in the world at an elevation of -282 feet at its Badwater Basin. It is a desert valley found in Eastern California, the US in North America. Death Valley is scorching and recorded the highest temperature of 134 Degrees Fahrenheit in 1913. Death Valley is also unusually dry and records small amounts of rainfall annually. Notably, there was no rain in death valley in 1929.The valley is home to abundant species of plants and animals, some of whom are only found in its national park.

Fossils have been discovered in the valley leading archaeologists to believe that there was human life in ancient age. Other Continental Minimum Elevation Extremes Other low points in the world’s continents and their elevations include the Deep Lake of the Vestfold Hills found in Antarctica at an elevation of -160 feet, the Caspian Sea in Europe at an elevation of -92 feet, and Lake Eyre in Australia at an elevation of -49 feet. The world similarly has geographical high points. The highest points on these continents are Mt. Everest in Asia at 29,035 feet, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa at 19,563 feet, Aconcagua in South America at 22,831 feet, Mt. McKinley in North America at 20,320 feet, and the Vinson Massif in Antarctica at 16,066 feet. The lowest and highest points provide opportunities for adventure and scientific research prompting people to climb the highest points, and travel and sail to the lowest geographical points across the world. The Lowest Points Of The World's Continents Rank

Question: Lake Eyre is the lowest point of which country?
Answer: Australia