This week as I drove around upstate NY I came across two neat areas I just had to stop and capture.East of Syracuse there are two meromictic lakes. Round Lake and Green Lake are quite rare. Now of course you're saying the same thing I was - what is that??? So here is the quick scoop and a visual is attached below of what an ordinary lake does seasonally. The meromictic lakes do not mix their waters.
Green Lake reaches a maximum depth of 195 feet. Deep lakes tend to appear bluish because the wavelengths of light that can penetrate (and be dispersed at) great depths are those closer to the blue end of the spectrum. Because of its depth and the high salinity of the basin waters, the lake is Meromictic and does not turn over and intermix waters like many other lakes. Green Lake's cold and dense bottom waters tend to stay separate from the shallower, warmer waters. Because of this, sediment sinks and collects in the bottom and virtually does not decay. Since the sediment is not kicked up by mixing, the lake does not take on a muddy, turbid appearance like other lakes do. Meromictic lakes also have still, mirror-like waters. Green Lake is no exception here, as its tranquil, reflective water makes for great photography. The Lake resides in an ancient river basin, carved deeper into the limestone bedrock by the last ice age. Limestone, an easily dissolved sedimentary rock, saturates the Lake's waters with calcium carbonate, a bluish salt solution. The lake, which resembles a large river in shape, is unusually deep for its size and was regarded as being sacred by the native Onondaga tribe, which originally settled in the area.
So just after I happened upon Green Lake I drove a while down the road and came upon another "round" national monument of sorts:
The National Shrine of the North American Martyrs, also dedicated as the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs, is a Roman Catholic shrine in Auriesville, New York dedicated to the Jesuit missionaries who were martyred at the Mohawk Indian village of Ossernenon between 1642 and 1646. Saint Rene Goupil, a Jesuit brother, was martyred in 1642. Saint Isaac Jogues, a Jesuit priest, and Saint John Lalande, a lay missionary, were martyred in 1646. They remain the only canonized martyrs of the United States. The shrine can seat about 6,000 people and is situated high on a hill on 600 acres.
Diving board shot below is quite peaceful....
Green Lake Info
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