Lake Brâncoveanu

Lake Brâncoveanu
Lake Brâncoveanu
Location	Ocna Sibiului, Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania
Coordinates	45°52′19″N 24°03′56″E / 45.8719°N 24.0656°E / 45.8719; 24.0656Coordinates: 45°52′19″N 24°03′56″E / 45.8719°N 24.0656°E / 45.8719; 24.0656
Type	Salt lake
Native name	Lacul Brâncoveanu  (Romanian)
Surface area	567.5 m2 (6,109 sq ft)
Max. depth	13.6 m (45 ft)
Salinity	310 g/l

Lake Brâncoveanu (Romanian: Lacul Brâncoveanu) is a natural salt lake in the town of Ocna Sibiului, Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania. It is one of the many lakes of the Ocna Sibiului mine, a large salt mine which has one of the largest salt reserves in Romania. ^[1] The lake has the biggest salinity out of every lake in the mine and is one of Romania's most salty lakes.

Ocna Sibiului within the Sibiu County

Name[]

The lake is named after Constantin Brâncoveanu, a ruler of Wallachia.

History[]

Lake Brâncoveanu is situated on the site of a salt mine that was in operation until 1699, when water infiltration caused it to be abandoned. In 1966, the water level of the lake had a sharp decrease of 11 m, because of the leakage of water through a crack produced in the salt wall in the underground lake adjacent to the Ignatius mine.

Information[]

• Surface: 567.5 square metres (6,109 sq ft)
• Maximum Depth: 13.6 metres (45 ft)
• Salinity: 310 g/l (highest in the salt mine)

Lakes of the salt mine[]

• Auster
• Lake Avram Iancu-Ocniţa
• Balta cu Nămol
• Brâncoveanu
• Lacul Fără Fund
• Gura Minei
• Horea
• Mâţelor
• Negru
• Pânzelor
• Rândunica
• Verde (Freshwater lake)
• Vrăjitoarelor (Freshwater lake)

References[]