CHAPTER 9: LAKES

9.3: SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

By the end of the topic, the learner should be able to:
a) Define the term ‘lake’
b) Explain the formation of lakes
c) Classify lakes according to their mode of formation
d) Discus the significance of lakes
DEFINITIONS
- A lake is water that has accumulated a hollow/depression or a basin on the earth’s surface.
- Its size, depth, and permanence depend on:
o The nature of the basin: a basin with permeable rocks will soon lose water by seepage but
one with impermeable rocks will retain water.
o The inflow of water from rainfall and rivers, whether surface or underground: the more the
water the larger the lake will be and vice versa.
o The amount of outflow by evaporation, rivers and seepage: the greater the outflow the
smaller the lake and vice versa.
Nature of Lakes
- Some lakes are seasonal, i.e. they have a lot of water in the rainy season, but dry up in the dry
season, e.g. Lk. Chemchem, W. of Malindi.

Lake Chemchem
- Some are swampy, e.g. Lk Nkunga, a crater lake N.W. of Meru town, Okavango and
Makgadikgadi (Makarikari) in Botswana, Lk Kyoga, Uganda.
- Many contain fresh water, i.e. fresh water lakes, e.g. lakes Naivasha, Baringo and Victoria,
while others are salty, i.e. salt water lakes, e.g. lakes Magadi, Natron and Katwe.

Lake Magadi
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The reasons why some lakes are salty are:
- Some lack outlets which would flush away some of the salts. The salts accumulate in the water.
- Hot, dry areas have a very high rate of evaporation, causing the increased concentration of salts
in the water.
- Some lakes have few surface rivers draining into them, and are fed by underground rivers.
These bring dissolved salts into the lakes, increasing their salt content, e.g. Lk Magadi.
- Surface run off may dissolve a lot of salts from the rocks over which it flows. This is deposited
in the lakes, increasing the salt content.
- The basin of the lake may be made up of rocks which contain a lot of soluble mineral salts.
When the salts dissolve, they increase the salt content of the lake.
Formation and classification of lakes
- Lakes can be classified according to their mode of formation, i.e.
a) As a result of tectonic movements
i) faulted or rift valley lakes
ii) crustal warping (down warped and tilted lakes)
b) As a result of volcanic activity
i) crater lakes
ii) lava-dammed lakes
c) Lakes formed by glaciation
i) cirque or tarn lakes
ii) Moraine-dammed lakes
iii) Ribbon or rock basin lakes
iv) Kettle lakes
d) Lakes formed by river and wave deposition
i) ox-bow lakes
ii) Marine/lacustrine lakes
e) Lakes formed by wind erosion
i) Oases
f) Lakes formed by solution
g) Human made lakes
i) Dam lakes
ii) Barrages/reservoirs
h) Lakes dammed by landslides and other debris
i) Meteorite lakes
a) Lakes formed by tectonic movements
i) Faulted/rift valley lakes
- During the formation of the Rift Valley, some parts of the valley are faulted to form long
narrow hollows.
 Water may then accumulate in these hollows, from seepage and rainwater, forming rift
valley lakes.
 Many such lakes are found at the bases of fault scarps.
 They are long, narrow, steep sided and often of great depth.
- During the formation of the Rift Valley, land may sink
 Often, as land sinks, it may be displaced unevenly, tilting along the faults.
 If water occupies these basins, a lake is formed.
- The floor of a rift valley may form many minor faults
 The land in between may subside or downwarp, forming rounded hollows
 Water may accumulate in them, forming lakes, like Lks. Naivasha and Bogoria

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Examples of lakes
 Turkana, a fresh water lake, with rivers Turkwel and Omo inlets.

 Lk. Baringo, a fresh water lake.

o It has an underground outlet and receives plenty of fresh water from R. Perkerra.
 Lk. Bogoria. It is highly saline.
o It is fed by rivers Wesenges and Emsoss, whose sources are hot springs around the lake.
o It has no outlet. It is in an area that experiences high evaporation.

Lk. Bogoria
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  Lk. Naivasha. It is a fresh water lake, because:
o It has underground drainage to the Indian Ocean and Lk Magadi.
o Its bed is made up of lava which covers its former crystalline bed.
 Lk. George, a long, narrow fresh water lake due to an outlet via Kasinga channel, which joins
the lake to Lk. Edward.
 Lk. Albert, a fresh water lake as it is joined by the Albert Nile
 Lk. Kivu, fresh water as it has an outlet to Lk. Tanganyika
 Lk. Tanganyika, a fresh water lake as it has an outlet through R. Rukaga
 Lk. Rukwa. A fresh water lake.
o Though it has no outlets, the inflow of water far exceeds the rate of evaporation.
 Lk. Magadi. It is alkaline due to the following factors:
o It has no outlet.
o It is located in a hot area so the rate of evaporation is very high.
o It is mostly fed by underground rivers that have dissolved a lot of calcium and sodium
carbonates.
o The rivers have high temperatures due to contact with hot rocks in the areas they pass over,
so they dissolve a lot of minerals.
o It is also fed by hot springs, which have saline water.
 Lakes Elementaita, Natron, Eyasi, Manyara are generally deep, narrow and alkaline.
 Lk. Malawi, a fresh water lake due to an outlet via R. Shire.
ii) Lakes formed by crustal warping/downwarping
 Compressional and tensional forces caused by tectonic movements can cause land to upwarp
and downwarp.
 Downwarping results in shallow depressions which eventually fill up with water to form
lakes
 The water comes from rivers and rainwater.
 They are large in area and usually often shallow.
 Examples are: lakes Victoria, Kyoga, Wamala, Kachira (Uganda), Bangweulu (Zambia), Lk
Mweru (DRC), Chad (Chad), and also Great Salt Lake (USA), and Lk Eyre (Australia).
Lake Victoria
 It is Africa’s largest lake, at 64,400km2.
 It is the world’s second largest fresh water lake
 It is 87m deep (max).
Formation
o In the early Tertiary Period, a divide once existed, separating rivers draining into the Indian
ocean and those that were tributaries of the Congo.
o It ran N/S, along the current Cherangani-Mau highlands.
o Land in the west began to rise, but rivers down cut and flowed on, forming antecedent
drainage.
o In the mid Pleistocene, land to the west was uplifted again, forming the western arm of the
Rift Valley.
o The plateau surface was also raised, but the middle section downwarped to form a basin.
The basin also tilted eastwards.
o Rivers Kagera, Kafu and Katonga, which were tributaries of the Congo, reversed their flow,
and started flowing eastwards, flooding their own valleys and filling the new basin.
o Rivers Nyando, Nzoia, e.t.c continued flowing westwards, now as rovers in their own right,
also filling the new basin.
o The watershed to the east was uplifted as the Gregory Rift Valley formed, this increased the
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 o waters flowing into the new basin, forming Lake Victoria.
o Lake Victoria was very much larger than it is today, but a gap in the present position of
Ripon Falls at Jinja allowed water to overflow, as the basin had now tilted slightly
northwards. The waters formed the Victoria Nile.
o A small basin had also formed in the north, around the headwaters of R. Kafu.
o R. Kafu backtilted, drowning its own tributaries.
o The new river Nile flowed into this basin, enlarging the drowned tributaries into Lk. Kyoga.
o The river then flowed westwards out of this lake, cutting a gap into the Rift Valley via
Kabalega (Murchison) Falls. This is the Victoria Nile.
o Islands on Lk. Victoria are former hills on the former plateau.
o The lake has several rias on it.
b) Lakes formed by vulcanicity
i) Crater lakes
 After an eruption, lava may cool and solidify in the vent of a volcano.
 As it cools it shrinks and withdraws inside the vent, leaving a crater.
 If the crater is formed of non-porous rocks, water from rivers, rain or melt water from snow
and ice accumulate in the crater, forming a crater lake.
 These lakes are generally salty as they have no outlets.
Examples
o Lakes Simbi (Rachuonyo), Paradise, Bugale and Mude (Mt. Marsabit), Lk Chala (Kenya-
Tanzania border), Central Island Crater Lake (Lk Turkana), Lk Sonachi (W of Lk
Naivasha), Lk. Nkunga
o Lakes Katwe, Bunyampaka, Nyamanuka, Nkugutu e.t.c (Uganda).
ii) Lava-dammed lakes
 Highly viscous lava may erupt from a volcano and flow across the course of a river.
 It may then cool and solidify, blocking the river, hence forming a lava dam.
 The river water will accumulate to form a narrow winding lake as it and its tributaries are
flooded to form inlets, called a lava-dammed lake.

o E.g. Lks Bunyonyi, Mutanda, Kayumba, Kijanebolola in SW Uganda, Lks Kivu and Tana
in Ethiopia, Lk Itasy, Madagascar
c) Lakes resulting from Glaciation
i) Cirque/tarn lakes
 A glacier occupies a hollow in a highland glaciated area.
 It erodes back into the depression, forming an armchair-shaped hollow called a
cirque/corrie/cwm.
 In warmer climate/summer, water may accumulate from meltwater in the depression, forming
a cirque lake or a tarn.
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Examples
o Lks Teleki, Hidden Tarn and Nanyuki tarn on Mt Kenya, Holinel Tarn
o On the Ruwenzoris, Lac du Speke, Lac du Catherine, Lac Noir
ii) moraine-dammed lake
 Moraine is glacier erosion debris carried by a glacier.
 It is deposited at the snout of a glacier across its trough in the lowlands as terminal moraine.
 Water from glacial meltwater, rain, a river or from underground may collect behind the
terminal moraine, forming a moraine-dammed lake.
Examples
o Tyndall Tarn, below Tyndall glacier, Lk Holinel and Hut Tarn, (below Darwin Glacier) on
Mt Kenya.

iii) Ribbon lakes

 In a glaciated valley, alternating layers of hard and soft rock exist in the path of a glacier.
 If a portion of the glacial valley has softer rock, the portion is eroded faster than the
surrounding harder rock by plucking and abrasion, forming a hollow.

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  After the glacial period is over, these hollows are filled with water from melting ice, rivers or
rainwater, forming ribbon lakes.

Ribbon lake: Buttermere

iv) Kettle lakes
 In lowland glaciated areas, huge chunks of ice may break off from the main glacier.
 During the glacial period, the masses of ice break off from the main glacier and occupy
hollows eroded by the ice itself.
 They are buried by moraine from the glacier as it moves over the buried ice chunks.
 In warmer climate, the ice melts and occupied the hollows.
 The overlying debris sinks into the hollow leaving behind a depression occupied by
meltwater, forming kettle lakes.
Examples
o Lk Mahoma, Mubuku valley, Ruwenzoris. It is 300m in diameter and less than 10m deep.
d) Lakes formed by river and wave deposition
i) ox-bow lakes
 A meander pre-exists in the flood plain of a river.

 On the outer parts of the bend, intense lateral erosion takes place. The water hits the outer
banks as it travels on a straight course (concave bend).
 The banks are under cut, forming bluffs, due to the strong water currents on the convex
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 bends, since the deflected water has slowed down, there is intense deposition (see diagram a)
 As erosion continues, the neck of the meander is made narrower and narrower.
 On the convex bends, deposition continues, pushing the curve of the meander inwards (see
diagram b, above, and photo below).
 Continued erosion of the convex bends causes the neck of the meander to be broken through
(see diagram c above). This often occurs during a flood, creating a cut-off.
 The river then takes a straight path.
 On the bank next to the cut off, deposition continues to take place, especially during floods
 Sealing it off from the main channel.
 Due to increased velocity, the river digs deeper into its channel, causing it to move at a lower
level than the meander, causing it to become abandoned.
 The abandoned meander is an ox-bow lake. (see diagram d above)

Ox-bow lakes on Nowitna river in Alaska

ii) marine/lacustrine lakes

 A bay exists in an area experiencing longshore drift.

 Longshore drift builds a spit across the bay.
 The spits are soon elongated to form sandbars that enclose the former bays.
 They are periodically submerged by sea or lake water during high tide.
 Uplift of land or a drop in base level of the sea may completely isolate the lagoons, creating
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 lagoon lakes.
Examples
o Lk Sare (R. Yala), Lk Nabugabo (W. shores of Lk. Victoria)

Lake Sare, a fresh water lagoon

e) Lakes formed by wind erosion
- A hollow in and arid area is further excavated by wind deflation. This occurs if the hollow is
formed of soft rocks in a depression formed due to faulting.
- The eroded materials are carried away by the wind, exposing more surface to erosion
- This goes on for a long time until the water table is reached.
- Water then seeps out from the ground and occupies the hollow, forming a lake caused by wind
erosion called an oasis.

Formation of oasis
- Some deflation hollows form salt pans, which are usually dry but contain saline water during
the rainy season. They form salt crusts when they dry.
Example:
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 o the Qattara Depression, between Egypt and Libya

Oasis in Peru
f) Lakes formed by solution
- Weathering and erosion by solution may occur in a limestone area.
- This may create a depression called a doline.
- If the water table is breached or if the weathered rock formation collapses into a water-filled
cavern, a lake, called a solution lake is formed.
Example
o Lk Ojikoto, formed by a collapsed doline in Namibia

Lake Ojikoto
g) Human-made lakes
i) Barrage lake/reservoirs
 A dam may be constructed across a river, in a narrow, steep-sided section of the valley.
 Behind the dam, water accumulates on the upstream side/in the gorge/valley.
 It floods the low-lying areas of the valley. The appearance of the lake will take the shape of the
river valley, creating barrage lake/reservoir.
Examples
o e.g. lakes behind Masinga, Kamburu, Gitaru, Kindaruma and Kiambere dams on the R. Tana.
o Lks Kariba and Cabora Bassa on R. Zambezi
o Lk. Volta, Behind Akosombo Dam, the largest man-made lake in the world, at 8,482km2
o Lk. Kainji, behind Kainji Dam on the R. Niger, e.t.c
ii)Dam lakes
 Land may form a natural depression at one end of a farm/agricultural area.
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  Earth is excavated from the depression and piled up on the lower side of the depression to form
a barrier called an earth dam.
 During the rainy season, water from surface run-off fills the excavated hollow, forming a dam
lake.

Lake Kariba
h) Lakes dammed by landslides and other debris
- When landslides occur, debris may be deposited across a river valley.
- River water flowing downslope will be barred from doing so, thus it will collect behind the
debris, forming a landslide/debris dammed lake.
- The lakes are, however, temporary because the river eventually breaks through the barrier.
Examples
o Lk Funduzi in S. Africa that formed when debris dammed R. Mutale
o Lk. Nyabihoko in S.W. Uganda has formed as a result of blockage of the river by two alluvial.
o fans. Its water drains into R. Kagera
i) Lakes formed by meteorites
- The impact of a meteorite that has fallen onto the earth’s surface can create a depression
- Water may collect in this depression from rain, surface run-off or from a river, forming a
meteorite lake.
Example
o Lk Bosumtwi in Ghana, which is 10 km in diameter

Lake Bosumtwi
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Significance of Lakes To Human Activity
Positive
i) Provision of water
- Fresh water lakes are sources of water which can be used for domestic and industrial
purposes. Many human-made lakes are also created for this purpose, e.g. Sasumua and Ndaka-
ini reservoirs, which supply water to Nairobi City.
- They also provide water for irrigation, e.g. Lk. Naivasha water is used in the irrigation of
horticultural farms around the lake.
- Many irrigation schemes dam their rivers so as to regulate flow of water for irrigation, e.g.
Mwea Irrigation Scheme.
ii) Generation of H.E.P
- Waters from Lk Victoria are harnessed at Jinja for the generation of H.E.P.
- Man has created barrage lakes on many rivers so as to generate hydro-electric power, e.g.,
- the five reservoirs and the two proposed ones on the R. Tana, forming the 7-Forks H.E.P.
scheme.
iii) Transportation
- Water travel is the cheapest means of transporting bulky goods/people from one place to
another:
 Lk Victoria links Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, who use the lake for transport of goods and
people.
 Lks Malawi and Tanganyika are also used to link different towns on their shores
 Lake Volta, which is human made, is also used for transportation.
 The Great Lakes-St Lawrence Seaway links continental USA/Canada to the world, and is a
major transport route for bulky goods in and out of the two countries.
iv) Source of valuable minerals
- Some lakes e.g. Lk Magadi have minerals (trona), which are mined for economic gain.
- Table salt is also mined from Lk Katwe in Uganda.
- Lk Natron has large reserves of trona also.
v Source of building materials
- Sand is harvested from the shores of Lk Victoria at Usare, Sango and Usoma beaches, and it is
used in the building and construction industry.
vi) Source of fish
- E.g. from Lks Victoria, Turkana and Naivasha which are a source of food for surrounding
communities.
- Fishing is also a source of employment and income, improving the standards of the people
involved in the activity.
- Fish from lakes are a source of raw material for industry, diversifying the economy of the
country.
vii) Tourist attractions
- Many lakes e.g. tarns, crater lakes, rift valley lakes and human made lakes attract tourist,
earning a country foreign exchange.
- Some are habitats of wildlife, e.g. Lks Nakuru, Bogoria and Natron for flamingoes.
- Lk Bogoria also has hot springs. Which attract tourists.
- Lk Naivasha is famous for hippos.
- Human-made made reservoirs like Haller Park, is a sanctuary for crocodiles.
- Tourists also enjoy boating, sport fishing and swimming on the lakes.
viii) Flood control
- Human-made reservoirs are built on rivers to regulate the flow of water and so curb flooding
o down-stream, e.g. on rivers such as the Nile, Tennessee, Niger and the Yangtze Kiang.
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ix) Sources of rivers
- Many lakes are sources of rivers e.g. Lks Victoria and Tana are the sources of the Nile. Its
annual flooding is a lifeline for Egypt which practices agriculture on the rich silts deposited on
its flood plains.
- Some tarns on Mt Kenya are sources of rivers e.g. the Naro Moru river which supplies water
for domestic use.
x) Modification of climate
- Large lakes, both natural and human made modify climate of the areas around them. They
- Create lake breezes that brings a cooling effect on the land.
- They cause convectional rainfall which makes the areas suitable for agriculture, or which
makes highlands surrounding them catchment areas for major rivers.
- Increase the humidity of the areas around them.
Negative
i) Habitat for disease vectors
- Lakes form breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which spread malaria, and the Bilharzia snail
which spreads Bilharzia, making the surroundings endemic to the diseases.
ii) Barriers to transport and communication
- Roads have to follow a long route to go around a lake, making them expensive to construct.
This also increases the cost of transport for the community
- Human made lakes separate communities and break up families, since some have to relocate
elsewhere to give room for the formation of the lake.
- Communication between communities also becomes difficult and expensive as they have to go
the long way around or buy boats to cross the lake.
iii Flooding
- Excessive rainfall can cause lakes to expand and flood the surrounding shore lands, destroying
property and causing the displacement/death of people by the water.
- Dams built across rivers may break, flooding lowland, destroying farmlands/property and
killing people by drowning.
o E.g. in 2003, Kibubuti dam in Kiambu County broke at night. The floods caused deaths and
destruction of property/Solai.

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