The Smradlivo Lake (Bulgarian: Смрадливото езеро [smrɐdˈlivoto ˈɛzɛro]) is a glacial lake located in the central section of the Rila mountain range, south-western Bulgaria. It is the second of the five Smradlivi Lakes and is situated at an altitude of 2,298 m in a hanging valley facing the valley of the Rilska River to the north between the summits of Rilets (2,713 m) to the south-west and Kyoravitsa (2,612 m) to the south.[1] It falls within the boundaries of the Rila Monastery Nature Park.[2]
| Smradlivoto Lake | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Smradlivoto Lake | |
| Coordinates | 42°07′15″N 23°28′28″E / 42.12083°N 23.47444°E |
| Primary inflows | precipitation |
| Catchment area | Rilska River |
| Basin countries | Bulgaria |
| Max. length | 900 m (3,000 ft) |
| Max. width | 260 m (850 ft) |
| Surface area | 212,000 m2 (2,280,000 sq ft) |
| Max. depth | 24 m (79 ft) |
| Water volume | 1.72×106 m3 (1,390 acre⋅ft) |
| Surface elevation | 2,298 m (7,539 ft) |
The Smradlivoto Lake is oval shaped with a maximum length of 900 m the width of 260 m. With a surface area of 212,000 m2 (21.2 ha) it is the largest glacial lake in Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula.[1][3] Its depth reaches 24 m; the volume is around 1,720,000 m3.[1] Its outflow is at the northern end, forming a stream that flows into the Rilska River, a left tributary of the Struma, after 1.2 km. Along its northern shore there is a small dyke to regulate the outflow to the small Rilska cascade.[1][4] The waters of the Smradlivo Lake have low hardness, high content of oxygen and low oxidisability.[4] It sustains populations of brown trout and due to its remoteness there are brown bears, chamois and red deer roaming the forests in the vicinity of the lake.[5]
Its Bulgarian name literally means 'the stinking lake'. Many legends about the lake are linked with the 10th-century medieval Bulgarian hermit and saint John of Rila who found refuge in the nearby valleys and established the Rila Monastery.
Citations
edit- ^ a b c d Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria 1980, p. 453
- ^ Yankov 2004, p. 4
- ^ Yankov 2004, p. 30
- ^ a b Yankov 2004, p. 33
- ^ Yankov 2004, pp. 72, 389–390
References
edit
- Мичев (Michev), Николай (Nikolay); Михайлов (Mihaylov), Цветко (Tsvetko); Вапцаров (Vaptsarov), Иван (Ivan); Кираджиев (Kiradzhiev), Светлин (Svetlin) (1980). Географски речник на България [Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria] (in Bulgarian). София (Sofia): Наука и култура (Nauka i kultura).
- Yankov (Янков), Petar (Петър) (2004). Rila Monastery Nature Park. Management Plan 2004–2013 (Природен парк "Рилски манастир". План за управление 2004–2013) (PDF) (in Bulgarian). Sofia: Ministry of Environment and Water.