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Nahuel Huapi Lake

Nahuel Huapi Lake(Spanish:Lago Nahuel Huapi) is anAndeanlakein the lake region of northernPatagoniabetween the provinces ofRío NegroandNeuquén,inArgentina.The lake has a northwest-southeast elongated shape and complex geography with several branches, peninsulas and islands. The city ofBarilocheis on the southern shore of the lake and the town ofVilla La Angosturalies on its northwestern shores. The lake is wholly insideNahuel Huapi National Park.It is one of the largest lakes in northern Patagonia. It is drained byLimay Riverand it is part of the watershed ofNegro Riverwhich discharges into theSouth Atlantic.

Nahuel Huapi Lake
Location of the lake in Argentina.
Location of the lake in Argentina.
Nahuel Huapi Lake
LocationLos Lagos Department,Neuquén Province/Bariloche Department,Río Negro Province,Argentina, inPatagonia
Coordinates41°05′25″S71°20′08″W/ 41.09028°S 71.33556°W/-41.09028; -71.33556
TypeGlacial lake
Primary inflowsHuemul river
Correntoso river
Bonito river
Machete river
Primary outflowsLimay River
Catchment area3,989 km2(1,540 sq mi)
BasincountriesArgentina
Max. length76 km (47 mi)
Max. width10.1 km (6.3 mi)
Surface area530 km2(205 sq mi)
Average depth157 m (515 ft)
Max. depth464 m (1,522 ft) deeper places might exist
Water volume83.35 km3(20.00 cu mi)
Shore length1357 km (222 mi)
Surface elevation2,523 ft (769 m)
Frozennever
IslandsIsla Victoria[es]
Isla Huemul
SettlementsSan Carlos de Bariloche
Villa La Angostura
1Shore length isnot a well-defined measure.

Additionally, the northwest shore of the lake is the site of an isolated house sometimes alleged to have been occupied byNazidictatorAdolf Hitlerfollowinghis purported escape from Berlinin April 1945.

Etymology

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The name of the lake derives from the toponym of its major island inMapudungun(Mapuchelanguage): "Island ofPuma",fromnahuel,'puma', andhuapí,'island'. There is, however, more to the word "Nahuel" —it can also signify 'a man who bysorceryhas beentransformedto a puma'.

Geography

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Lake Nahuel Huapi. The surrounding area became Argentina's first National Park in 1903
Lake Nahuel Huapi from space (the elongated, dark feature in the center of the image is the lake and in the bottom is seen the Limay River), North is to the right of the image, 1997.

Nahuel Huapi lake, located within theNahuel Huapi National Park,has a surface of 530 km2(200 sq mi), rests 770 metres (2,510 ft) above the sea level, and has a maximum measured depth (as of 2007) of 464 metres (1,522 ft).

Its seven branches are namedBlest(36 km2or 14 sq mi),Huemul(21.5 km2or 8.3 sq mi),de la Tristeza(18.5 km2or 7.1 sq mi),Campanario(7.9 km2or 3.1 sq mi),Machete,del RincónandÚltima Esperanza.It is connected to other smaller lakes such asGutiérrez,Moreno,EspejoandCorrentoso.The deep-blue waters hold a number of islands, most notablyIsla Victoria[es]with an area of 31 km2(12 sq mi), andIsla Huemulon the south end of the lake.

The lake's crystal clear waters are very susceptible to climate changes and have an average surface temperature of 7 °C (45 °F); this makes it both beautiful and treacherous.Hypothermiais one of the risks bathers must undertake.Kayakingis a popular sport on this and adjacent lakes. The lake is also the starting point of theLimay River.

Limnology and geology

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The lake depression consists of severalglacial valleyscarved out alongfaultsandMiocenevalleys that were laterdammed by moraines.During theLast Glacial Maximumof theLlanquihue glaciationthe lake basin was wholly occupied by a glacier.[1]

The lake has usually a blue colour but on occasion its water have turnedturquoiseor green after earthquakes in southern Chile such as the oneon May 22, 1960and the oneon January 2, 2011.[2][3][4]

The June2011 eruptionof thePuyehue-Cordón Caullevolcanic complex, in neighboring Chile, caused parts of the lake's surface to be blanketed involcanic ash.[5]

The dominant species ofplanktonin the winter half-year in the lake isDictyosphaerium pulchellum.[2]The remainder of the yearBacillariophyceaeandChrysophyceaealgae dominate.[2]

Fauna

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This lake harbors severalintroduced,non-native species of trout,[6]includingrainbow trout,brown troutandbrook troutwhich attractanglersfrom the world over.

A curious fact about the lake is that, despite being nowhere near any ocean and being at high altitude, it is also home forkelp gulland theblue eyed cormorant(Phalacrocorax atriceps), otherwise strictly marine birds.[7][8][9]

Culture

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Nahuelito

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Main article:Nahuelito

At the beginning of the 20th century, and following an old aboriginal legend,[10]the rumor of a giant creature living in the deep waters of the lake took up. Thecreatureis known locally asNahuelito.Reported sightings of it predateNessieandArthur Conan Doyle'sThe Lost World(1912).[11]

LocalMapuchecalled another creatureel Cuero(leather) for its smooth skin.[citation needed]The neighboring lakeLago Lácar,has also been the site for accounts of another creature, more consistent with aplesiosaur,with aborigines describing it as asea-cowwithteethall around it.[citation needed]

Members of theBuenos Aires Zoovisited the lake in 1922 trying to corroborate the reports of sightings of the prehistoric animal, but found no evidence to support the theory of such a creature.

Hitler conspiracy theory

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The Inalco House near the current settlement ofVilla La Angostura.According to the fringe theory, Hitler lived some years here after 1945.[12]
See also:Conspiracy theories about Adolf Hitler's death

Some works, such as theNational Police Gazette(circa 1950–1970), an Americantabloid-stylemagazine,[13]as well as a 2004 book by Abel Basti and the 2011 bookGrey Wolfclaim thatAdolf HitlerandEva Braundid notcommit suicidebut escaped to Argentinaalong with other Nazisand lived in the surroundings ofBarilochefor many years after World War II. Hitler and Braun allegedly resided at theInalco House,located at the northwest end of the lake,[12]in part due to the estate's remoteness and lack of accessibility.[14]

The son of real-estate businessmanPrimo Caprarosold the property to architectAlejandro Bustillo,who designed the house in early 1943. The plan includes unusual design features such as bedrooms connected by bathrooms (and closets), similar to Hitler'sBerghofresidence in Bavaria.[14]Bustillo sold the estate to Enrique García Merou, aBuenos Aireslawyer linked to several German businesses; Merou is alleged to have assisted the Nazi ratlines. The residence was later sold to businessmanJorge Antonio,the representative of German automakerMercedes-Benzin Argentina and a close associate of Argentine presidentJuan Perón.[14]In 1970, the house was sold to José Rafael Trozzo, who also bought properties owned by escapedSchutzstaffel(SS) officerReinhard Kopps,who—along with Capraro—had ties to SS commanderErich Priebke.The Trozzo family put the house up for sale in 2011 (the yearGrey Wolfwas released).[14]

According to the fringe theory, a number ofU-boatsferried certain high level Nazis including Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun and a large amountNazi lootto Argentina, where the Nazis were given refuge by Perón, who, with his wifeEvita,had been receiving money from the Nazis for some time. Hitler allegedly arrived in Argentina, first staying at Hacienda San Ramón, a large ranch east ofSan Carlos de Bariloche.[12]Hitler then moved to a Bavarian-style mansion at Inalco where he remained until Peron was overthrown in amilitary coupin 1955 when he fled to an even more remotechaletto avoid detection when the new government in Buenos Aires began looking for Nazi war criminals alleged to be hiding in Argentina. Purportedly, Eva Braun left Hitler around 1954 and moved toNeuquénwith their daughter, Ursula ('Uschi'), and Hitler died in February 1962.[12][15][16][17]

Citing a former Nazi presence in Bariloche, the investigative seriesHunting Hitler(2015–2018) reveals a guard tower—reportedly built by the same architect as the Inalco House—looking over the lake (situated closer to Bariloche than the house), as well as a destroyed bunker on the other side of the lake;[18]together the two sites (in addition to other possible lookouts such as a wooden building resembling a guard shack)[19]may have provided a panoramic view used to safeguard the mansion,[18]then accessible from only the lake due to heavy forestation and long rumoured to have housed Hitler.[20]Additionally, theHunting Hitlerteam cited the proximity of German scientistRonald Richter'sPerón-backed nuclear fusion projecton Huemul Island.[18]

In a 2018 episode ofExpedition Unknown,Abel Basti secured a rare excursion into the Inalco House, revealing little except for some old kitchen utensils in the basement. Using a metal detector on the grounds, hostJosh Gateslocated aNazi coin,leading him to conclude that Nazis (but not necessarily Hitler) could have used the house.[21]

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  • Nahuel Huapi Lake
  • Sun over the Nahuel Huapi lake at 12:00 pm
  • Windy Nahuel Huapi
  • Nahuel Huapi Lake captured from Camping Petunia

See also

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  • Limay River,a major river of the region that runs from the lake

References

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  1. ^Heusser, C.J. (2004).Ice Age Southern Andes.Elsevier. pp. 25–29.
  2. ^abcThomasson, Kuno(1963). "Lake Nahuel Huapi".Araucanian Lakes: Plankton Studies in North Patagonia with Notes on Terrestrial Vegetation.Uppsala:Almqvist & Wiksell.p. 80-84.
  3. ^"Investigan cambio de color en aguas del Nahuel Huapi".Río Negro(in Spanish). 5 January 2011.Retrieved14 March2023.
  4. ^"Magnitude 7.1 – ARAUCANIA, CHILE".Earthquake.usgs.gov. Archived fromthe originalon 5 January 2011.Retrieved12 April2012.
  5. ^"Chilean volcano fills lake with ash".The Daily Telegraph.London. 16 June 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 18 June 2011.
  6. ^"La Fauna del Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi".Bariloche.Org.Retrieved2 January2013.
  7. ^"Blue-eyed Cormorant".Birdsoman.com.Retrieved2 January2013.
  8. ^"NAHUEL HUAPI NATIONAL PARK - ARGENTINA - National Parks in Argentina - Ripio Incoming Tour Operator Argentina".Ripioturismo.com.ar. 6 November 1903.Retrieved2 January2013.
  9. ^Pamela C. RasmussenThe CondorVol. 88, No. 3 (Aug., 1986), pp. 393-395. University of California Press
  10. ^Sam Mustafa (25 November 2010)."The Myth of Nahuelito: A Monstrous Symbol of Argentina".Argentina Independent.Retrieved3 March2017.
  11. ^"Lake Monsters: Nahuelito".Strangemag.com.Retrieved2 January2013.
  12. ^abcd"NAZI-GUÍA TURÍSTICA POR BARILOCHE".El Tiempo(in Spanish). 2 January 2004.Retrieved7 August2019.
  13. ^Westlake, Steven A. (2016).Hitler Is Alive!.New York:Mysterious Press.pp. 176, 216–17, 221–22, 394–95, 399, 402.ISBN978-1-5040-2215-6.
  14. ^abcdDiaz, Jesus (16 November 2011)."Hitler's Secret Argentine Sanctuary Is for Sale, Say Conspiracy Theorists".Gizmodo.Retrieved30 December2022.
  15. ^"FBI — Adolf Hitler Part 01 of 04 - File No 105-410".vault.fbi.gov.Retrieved3 September2014.
  16. ^Thorpe, Vanessa (27 October 2013)."Hitler lived until 1962? That's my story, claims Argentinian writer".The Guardian.Retrieved7 August2019.
  17. ^Thope, Vanessa (27 October 2013)."Hitler escape book's authors in plagiarism row".The Japan Times.Retrieved8 August2019.
  18. ^abc"Anatomy of a Manhunt".Hunting Hitler.Season 3. Episode 0. 2017. 19:45–22, 31 minutes in.History.
  19. ^"Hitler's Safehouse".Hunting Hitler.Season 1. Episode 6. 2015. 28:30–29 minutes in. History.
  20. ^"Inside the Investigation".Hunting Hitler.Season 2. Episode 0. 2016. 25 minutes in. History.
  21. ^"Nazis in Argentina".Expedition Unknown.Season 5. Episode 3. 2018. 22–30, 35–37, 38:30–41 minutes in.Discovery Channel.
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