Lakes in Costa Rica

LakesLake occur throughout Costa Rica, in a variety of geomorphic settings. Nearly every possible mode of lakeLake formation has occurred, involving processes related to volcanism, tectonics, mass movement, fluvial activity, coastal erosionErosion, and glaciation. Humans have also created a diversity of lakesLake. Based on basal ages on organics in sediment coresSediment cores, the oldest natural lakesLake in Costa Rica are the glacial lakesGlacial lakes of the Chirripó massif, which date to the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. While these lakesLake have shown little change over time, lakesLake elsewhere have changed dramatically due to human and natural disturbances. The great number of lakesLake in Costa Rica, and their variation in morphometry and limnology, makes them important in the conservation of biodiversity. LakesLake are also of economic and tourism importance, and their protection deserves particular attention.