An underground lake or subterranean lake is a lake underneath the surface of the Earth. Most naturally occurring underground lakes are found in areas of karst topography,[1][2] where limestone or other soluble rock has been weathered away, leaving a cave where water can flow and accumulate.
An underground lake is any body of water that is similar in size to a surface lake and exists mostly or entirely underground; though, a precise scientific definition of what may be considered a "lake" is not yet well-established.[6] Underground lakes could be classified as either “lakes” or "ponds", depending on characteristics of size, such as exposed surface area and/or depth.
The rarity of naturally-occurring underground lakes can be attributed to the way water behaves underground. Below the surface of the Earth, pressure exterted on water increases, causing it to be absorbed into the ground. The boundary at which there is sufficient sub-terranean pressure to completely saturate the ground with water is called the water table. The area above the water table is called the “unsaturated zone,” while the area below it is called the “saturated zone” [2].[7] In the saturated zone, pressure is the primary force driving the flow of water. Lakes form primarily under the force of gravity – water is pulled down to the lowest point in an area, and gathers into a lake. Any water below the water table will be under pressure, and so does not form a lake; instead, it forms an aquifer.
Naturally-occurring underground lakes can form in Karst areas, where the weathering of soluble rocks leaves behind caverns and other openings in the earth.[2] Surface water can find its way underground through these openings[8] and pool up in larger caverns to form lakes.
An underwater lake in Cueva Maronal located in the Elías Soplín Vargas District of Peru
A geological cross section showing the key hydrological features of Karst topography that lead to the formation of underwater caves.
