LAKE

**Lakes** **By Hedy Goodman ** **Lakes can be found around the world high and low. Lakes are deep holes filled with natural water, surrounded by secure land. Some lakes are 1,385 feet below sea level, although some lakes are 12,507 feet above sea level. ** **Most lakes are formed by a moving glacier. The icebergs move at as fast as one inch per day. The glacier melts over time. Precipitation fills the lake. Right now, in Alaska, a glacier is moving towards a large lake. ** **A famous lake in the U.S. is the Great Salt Lake in Northwestern Utah. It was created by a moving glacier that left natural water and rock particles behind. The famous salt of the Great Lake is made of dissolved minerals. This popular lake is about 31 percent salt. ** **Normal lake bottoms are cramped with aged rocks and soil, although 10% of lakes can be found clean. The reason there is soil on the bottom is because of gravity. The soil was actually mixed in with the glacier. ** **Lakes can be found almost anywhere, especially in cold areas. They affect weather. For example, in summer, a lake never gets as hot as the ground and, in winter, the ground cools faster. Although, sometimes a lake causes the climate to be warmer. ** **Animals living around most U.S. lakes include ducks, geese, swans, cranes, fish, and turtles. There are also special insects that have the ability to swim. These animals are mostly warm blooded. There are animals that don’t occur often, which are flamingos, egrets, and special kinds of snails. ** **Lakes can vanish because they either: dry in the change of climate, slowly lose their water, a natural disaster changing the surface, or it can drain into an ocean, becoming part of it. Lakes, believe it or not, are slowly disappearing. **