Little Crater Lake is a spring-fed lake in the Mount Hood National Forest in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It is named after Crater Lake, also in Oregon.
Little Crater Lake | |
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![]() ![]() Little Crater Lake ![]() ![]() Little Crater Lake | |
Location | Mount Hood National Forest, Clackamas County, Oregon, U.S. |
Coordinates | 45.1478°N 121.7477°W / 45.1478; -121.7477 |
Primary inflows | Cold spring |
Max. width | 100 feet (30 m)[1] |
Max. depth | 45 feet (14 m) |
Little Crater Lake is considered an oddity, with earlier geologists theorizing it formed from a collapsed lava tube because of its steep and overhanging walls.[2] Later geologists believe it originated from a volcanic maar[3] or was created from block faulting.[4] Artesian water from an underground spring fills the resulting depression with water. The lake was named after Crater Lake, also in Oregon,[5] due to their shared blue waters.[6] The water in Little Crater Lake is a constant 34 °F (1.1 °C).[1]