Heart shaped lake, possibly in Korea
Image: pixelprime
Look hard enough and you�ll see the physical environment, both natural and man-made, has a message for us � sometimes in the most unusual places. Lakes and other bodies of water aren�t the first places one might expect to discern symbols, figures and other shapes, but viewed from above they can be surprisingly communicative. We�ve scoured the globe for images of lakes whose shapes speak volumes.
The Lake Eros had a hand in
Image: freebird (bobinson)
Nature again has romantic designs with a lake in the shape of the universal symbol for love. This one is to be found in the less frost-bitten environment of Kerala, India � specifically within the beautiful Wayanad district, near Chembra Peak, at about 1,398 metres above sea level. With a surface area of 1,827 square meters, it�s not a big a heart, but it is a fairly warm one.
The Lake that leads the Latin Alphabet
Image: louburland
To be honest there are simply loads of heart-shaped lakes out there � everywhere from Ohio to Korea � so we just didn�t have room for all of them here. Shot from a balloon, this next lake � or perhaps more accurately pond � looks like the letter �A� to us. Anyone know of other lakes that spell something out to them? We�d be interested to hear.
The Lake that Bond built
Image via: armchairtravelogue
Nature had a little help from Man with this pistol-like body of water, Belgium�s 2.5 km long Schulensmeer, but it�s coincidence it looks like an ad for the next 007 movie. It was artificially created in the �70s when sand was needed to build a nearby highway, and owes its shape to the parcels of land that were bought for this purpose. Popular for watersports, it�s also an overflow for the Demer River in case of flooding.
The Lake designed by Pisces
Image: dragonfly23
This frozen-over, fish-shaped wonder was captured on Alaska�s Mt. McKinley, the highest mountain peak in North America at around 6,194 metres. Mount McKinley actually has a larger rise than Mount Everest, as its base sits at a much lower elevation of 610 m, and is also bulkier than its Himalayan rival. With such imposing facts, it�s no wonder this obscurely fishy lake is less well-known.
The Lake in the image of Man
This next shape is clearly a product of deliberate human intervention in the natural landscape, a figure that stands some 140 metres tall in a lake located near Iacanga in the Brazilian state of S�o Paulo. However, aside from its location and vital statistics, information about this strange piece of land art is scarce. Anyone know anything we don�t? If so, pray do tell.
The Lake that says �How do you do?�
The previous lake may have been man-shaped by design, but this next one looks more natural; natural but not au naturel � see he�s wearing a hat and cane as he walks across the countryside. We�re not sure where this is, but we�ve featured it on EG before and one commenter reckoned it could be Blythefield Reservoir in Staffordshire, England; another said it must be Mr. Peanut of Planters fame.
The Lake of Lady Luck
Image: Greg Brooks
Canada�s aptly-named Horseshoe Lake might bring luck for some, but geographically oxbow lakes like this are not uncommon. These sweeping U-shaped bodies of water are formed when a wide meander from a river�s main stem is cut off, creating the characteristically curved lake. This fine-looking example is located along the long the Red River, near Morris in southern Manitoba.
The bodies of water you can make your own mind up about
Image via: University of Florida
In this next pic a few emergent oxbow lakes are visible, one of which forms the eye of some strange-looking creature. Is it a bird sticking out its tongue and spitting stuff out? Maybe it�s just us. Anyways, the zigzagging body of water forming the outline of whatever-it-is is Fisheating Creek, which runs through Cowbone March west of Florida�s Lake Okeechobee, itself known as The Big O.
The River that doubles your luck
Image: Moondigger
So how do oxbow lakes arise? Well many of them start out a lot like this. Yes, we know, it isn�t a lake, but it could be one in the making. This is Arizona�s Horseshoe Bend, a magnificent meander of the Colorado River situated slightly downstream from Lake Powell within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. From the steep cliff above, some 305 metres higher up, it makes a breathtaking sight.
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