WATCH: Poof! Lake Disappears Into Underwater Lava Tube

Brittany Jones-Cooper
·Reporter
Updated

If we told you there’s a lake in Oregon that disappears every year, you probably wouldn’t believe us, right?

Luckily, there’s video proof.

The Bend Bulletin recently posted this clip on Youtube, showing the Lost Lake draining into a mysterious lava tube in the Central Oregon Cascades.

Jude McHugh, spokesperson for the Willamette National Forest, told the Bulletin that this is something that’s been happening for as long as people can remember.

“It fills up in the winter, when input exceeds the rate of draining, and then it goes dry and it’s a meadow,” McHugh said.

image

Now you see it, now you don’t. The last drops of Lost Lake disappear into the lava tube. (Photo: Ryan Brennecke/Bend Bulletin)

This phenomenon is rare, but not completely unheard of. A lava tube is formed when lava hardens near the surface, but continues to flow downward — creating a tunnel like structure. Nearby Fish Lake also drains on a seasonal cycle.

Related: Lake Vacations in the U.S. That Have Everyone Reaching for Their Swimwear

So where does the water go? Honestly, officials aren’t completely sure. They predict that the water seeps into the porous subsurface below, recharging the massive aquifer that feeds springs on both sides of the Cascades.

If you think plugging the lava tube is an option, think again. McHugh said that many have tried and failed to keep the lake from disappearing, which he explains is a good thing for the local infrastructure.

“If anyone was ever successful at plugging it — which we’re not sure they could do — it would just result in the lake flooding, and the road,” said McHugh.

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