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Coordinates: 44°51′10″N 111°23′20″W / 44.8528°N 111.3889°W / 44.8528; -111.3889
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[[Image:Hebgen Lake Landslide.jpg|thumb|Landslide at Quake Lake [[U.S. Geological Survey]]]]
[[Image:Hebgen Lake Landslide.jpg|thumb|Landslide at Quake Lake [[U.S. Geological Survey]]]]
==was a quake in a lake==
[[Image:QuakeLake.jpg|upright|thumb|Quake Lake from overlook]]
'''Quake Lake''' (officially '''Earthquake Lake''') is a [[lake]] in southwestern [[Montana]] in the [[United States]]. It was created after an [[earthquake]] struck on August 17, 1959, killing 28 people.<ref name=usgs>{{cite web|title=Largest Earthquake in Montana|url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/events/1959_08_18.php|work=Historic Earthquakes|publisher=United States Geological Survey|access-date=2012-04-01|date=October 21, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105042605/https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/events/1959_08_18.php|archive-date=January 5, 2010}}</ref> Quake Lake is {{convert|190|ft}} deep and {{convert|6|mi}} long. [[US 287]] follows the lake and offers glimpses of the effects of the earthquake and landslide, and a visitor center is just off the road. The lake is mostly within [[Gallatin National Forest]].

==The earthquake==
{{main|1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake}}

The earthquake measured 7.5 on the [[Richter magnitude scale]] (revised by USGS to 7.3) and caused an 80-million ton [[landslide]], which formed a [[landslide dam]] on the [[Madison River]]. The earthquake was the most powerful to hit the state of Montana in historic times. The landslide traveled down the north flank of Sheep Mountain, at an estimated {{convert|100|mph}}, killing 28 people who were camping along the shores of Hebgen Lake and downstream along the Madison River. Upstream the faulting caused by the earthquake forced the waters of [[Hebgen Lake]] to shift violently. A [[seiche]], a wave effect created by [[wind]], atmospheric pressure, or seismic activity on [[water]], crested over [[Hebgen Dam]], causing cracks and erosion.

The earthquake created [[fault scarp]]s up to {{convert|20|ft|m|abbr=on}} high in the area near Hebgen Lake and the lake bottom itself dropped the same distance. {{convert|32000|acres|km2|abbr=on}} of the area near Hebgen Lake subsided more than {{convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on}}. Several [[geysers]] in the northwestern sections in [[Yellowstone National Park]] erupted and numerous hot springs became temporarily muddied.<ref name=usgs/>

Within the immediate vicinity of the earthquake and resultant landslide, a few dozen cabins and homes were destroyed. Overall damages to buildings and roads were minor with damage costs placed at 11 million [[United States dollar|dollars]] in 1959. [[Aftershock]]s up to 6.5 on the Richter magnitude scale continued for several months.<ref name=usgs/> At the time, the quake was the second largest to occur in the continental US during the 20th century.<ref name=fs>{{cite web
|url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/custergallatin/specialplaces/?cid=stelprdb5127785 |title=Earthquake Lake Visitor Center |work=Custer Gallatin National Forest |publisher=USDA Forest Service |access-date=January 14, 2019}}</ref>

==Hebgen Dam and creation of the lake==
[[Hebgen Dam]], built in 1917, is a [[concrete]] core and rock fill faced structure that sustained severe damage but continued to hold. Repairs were completed on the dam spillway in a few weeks. The landslide, which occurred downstream from the dam, blocked almost all the flow of the Madison River which began to fill in the void upstream from the slide. In less than a month, the waters had created what is now known as Quake Lake. The lack of a reliable water outlet for this new lake forced one of the largest mobilizations of the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] ever commenced in the western U.S. Before the new landslide was breached by the quickly rising waters, a [[spillway]] was constructed to ensure erosion and potential failure of the natural dam would be minimized.

==Visitors center==
[[File:Memorial Boulder (3855680673).jpg|thumb|right|Memorial for the victims from the 1959 earthquake at the Earthquake Lake Visitor Center]]
In 1967, the [[United States Forest Service|U.S. Forest Service's]] Earthquake Lake Visitor Center opened its doors for the first season of operation. The center provides interpretive services for more than 50,000 visitors annually. The center provides a panoramic view of the mountain that fell and the lake that was formed. This facility hosts interpretive displays on earthquakes, plate tectonics, and a working seismograph. It is located in [[Custer Gallatin National Forest]].<ref name=fs/>

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=mfwp>{{cite web |url=https://myfwp.mt.gov/fishMT/waterbody/Quake%20Lake |title=Quake Lake |publisher=Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks |access-date=July 7, 2020}}</ref>

<ref name=mfwp2>{{cite web |url=http://fwp.mt.gov/fwpDoc.html?id=57349 |title=Quake Lake 2011 Aerial Imagery |publisher=Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks |access-date=July 7, 2020}}</ref>
}}

==External links==

*[http://fwp.mt.gov/export/sites/FwpPublic/gisResources/lakeMaps/42630.pdf Quake Lake Bathymetric Map] Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
*[http://fwp.mt.gov/export/sites/FwpPublic/gisResources/lakeMaps/42630.pdf Quake Lake Bathymetric Map] Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
{{commons category|Quake Lake|position=left}}
{{commons category|Quake Lake|position=left}}

Revision as of 17:19, 19 August 2021

For other lakes created by earthquakes, see Landslide dam.
Quake Lake
Quake Lake is located in Montana
Quake Lake
Quake Lake
Location in Montana
LocationMadison / Gallatin counties, Montana, United States
Coordinates44°51′10″N 111°23′20″W / 44.8528°N 111.3889°W / 44.8528; -111.3889[1]
TypeNatural/Fresh Water Lake
Primary inflowsMadison River
Primary outflowsMadison River
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length6 mi (9.7 km)
Max. width.25 mi (0.40 km)
Surface area611.8 acres (247.6 ha)[2]
Average depth47.2 ft (14.4 m)[3]
Max. depth124.88 ft (38.06 m)[3]
Water volume26,555 acre⋅ft (32,755,000 m3)[3]
Surface elevation6,391 ft (1,948 m)[1]
Landslide at Quake Lake U.S. Geological Survey

was a quake in a lake

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Quake Lake.
  1. ^ a b "Earthquake Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference mfwp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference mfwp2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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