Lake Buchanan (Queensland)
Encyclopedia
Lake Buchanan is a flat salt lake
approximately 28 km long and 8 km wide at its widest point, with a surface area of about 117 km². It is part of the Thomson River
catchment and part of the Desert Uplands bioregion.
Lake Buchanan is different from all other salt lakes in Australia because it occurs at a high elevation - on the Great Dividing Range
. The lake is shallow and the water tends to be brackish. Land around the lake is used for grazing.
Lake Buchanan contains a number of significant species which are newly discovered and most probably endemic. These include the Lake Buchanan button grass, fringing rush
, Lake Buchanan fringe rush and Buchanan’s fairy shrimp. The Lake Buchanan blue bush is a threatened species belonging to the Chenopodium
genus.
Salt lake
A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water which has a concentration of salts and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes . In some cases, salt lakes have a higher concentration of salt than sea water, but such lakes would also be termed hypersaline lakes...
approximately 28 km long and 8 km wide at its widest point, with a surface area of about 117 km². It is part of the Thomson River
Thomson River
Thomson River may refer to:*Thomson River , western Queensland, Australia*Thomson River , Victoria, Australia...
catchment and part of the Desert Uplands bioregion.
Lake Buchanan is different from all other salt lakes in Australia because it occurs at a high elevation - on the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
. The lake is shallow and the water tends to be brackish. Land around the lake is used for grazing.
Lake Buchanan contains a number of significant species which are newly discovered and most probably endemic. These include the Lake Buchanan button grass, fringing rush
Fimbristylis
Fimbristylis is a genus of sedges. A plant in this genus may be known commonly as a fimbry, fimbristyle, or fringe-rush. There are 200 to 300 species distributed worldwide. Several continents have native species but many have been introduced to regions where they are not native. Many are...
, Lake Buchanan fringe rush and Buchanan’s fairy shrimp. The Lake Buchanan blue bush is a threatened species belonging to the Chenopodium
Chenopodium
Chenopodium is a genus of about 150 species of perennial or annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family Amaranthaceae in the APG II system; older classifications separate it and its relatives as Chenopodiaceae, but...
genus.
See also
- Lake GalileeLake Galilee (Queensland)Lake Galilee is approximately 29 km long but the width varies between 3 km and 15 km. The lake floor is 275 m ASL and has a surface area of approximately 260 km2....
- List of lakes of Australia