Lac de l'Abbaye, also known as Lac de Grandvaux or Lac de la Grande Rivière, is a glacial lake in the commune of Grande-Rivière, in the Jura department of France. It is located at an altitude of 879 m (2,884 ft), on the edge of Jura Mountains, 7 km (4.3 mi) south of Saint-Laurent-en-Grandvaux.[1]

Lac de l'Abbaye
Lac de l'Abbaye is located in Franche-Comté
Lac de l'Abbaye
Lac de l'Abbaye
LocationGrande-Rivière, Jura department, Franche-Comté
Coordinates46°31′47.87″N 5°54′44.51″E / 46.5299639°N 5.9123639°E / 46.5299639; 5.9123639
Catchment area3.25 km2 (1.25 sq mi)
Basin countriesFrance
Max. length2.1 km (1.3 mi)
Max. width600 m (2,000 ft)
Surface area0.9 km2 (0.35 sq mi)
Average depth9.5 m (31 ft)
Max. depth19.5 m (64 ft)
Water volume5.8 hm3 (4,700 acre⋅ft)
Surface elevation879 m (2,884 ft)

The lake owes its name to the abbey of Saint-Claude, which was constructed its banks in the 12th century. Only the reconstructed 19th century church remains.[2][3]

The lake is 2.1 km (1.3 mi) in length, 600 m (2,000 ft) wide, covering an area of 120 ha (300 acres). There is a small inflow at the northern end, but the lake is mainly fed from precipitation. Water is lost via a sinkhole. The catchment area of the lake is approximately 350 ha (860 acres).[4]

References edit

  1. ^ "Le lac de l'Abbaye, un site pittoresque | Montagnes du Jura".
  2. ^ "Le lac de l'Abbaye à GRANDE-RIVIERE CHATEAU".
  3. ^ de Gingins-La Sarraz, Frédéric (1842). Annals of the Abbey of Lac-de-Joux: from its foundation until its suppression in 1536. Ducloux. p. 50.
  4. ^ Yu, Ge (1995). Lake Status Records from Europe: Data Base Documentation. World Data Center-A for Paleoclimatology, NOAA Paleoclimatology Program. p. 53.