Vally Lake, One of the Four in the Maar Complex around Mt. Gambier, Kanawinka Geopark, Australia

Abstract

 Adjacent to the city center of Mount Gambier, South Australia, is the extinct volcanic cone of Mt. Gambier (elevation 190 m), one of Australia's youngest volcanoes. This volcanic area incorporates a maar complex containing four lakes: Blue Lake, Vally Lake, Leg of Mutton Lake, and Browne's Lake, and is estimated to have been formed some 4,300 or 28,000 years ago. The view from the Centenary Tower, erected on the summit of Mt. Gambier, is one of the best panoramas of a maar complex. The lakes are popular tourist attractions, and geo-tourism to these lakes contributes to the sustainability of regional development.
(Toshio KIKUCHI and Takayuki ARIMA)