Laguna Catemaco

Laguna Catemaco is a freshwater lake located at the center of the Sierra de Los Tuxtlas in south central Veracruz, in east central Mexico. In English the word lagoon generally describes a body of water exposed to the sea. In Mexican Spanish laguna seems to be used to refer to lagoons plus lakes in general. Common usage in Mexico is Laguna de Catemaco, though scientific articles prefer to use the less ambiguous name Lake Catemaco or Lago Catemaco in Spanish. Laguna Catemaco was formed millennia ago, when lava flow from Volcano San Martin Tuxtla blocked its current northern end, and stands now at 340 m (1,115 ft) above sea level. It is shallow, averaging 7.6 m (25 ft), with a maximum depth of 22 meters located in the channel between Isla...