Juday—Lakes in Central America . 
221 
the surface of the water. The smaller island is conical, about 
20 m. in diameter and 10 m. high. The smaller lies about 200 m. 
north of the larger and the water between them has a depth of 
45 m. 
The shores are fairly steep, the east and southeast shores rising 
most abruptly. The surrounding country soon rises to a height 
of 300 m. or more above the surface of the water, the only break 
in the elevated rim being at the outlet. A short distance east of 
The depths are shown in meters. 
the lake is the lofty volcanic cone known as San Ramon. At the 
western end it receives a small affluent, Qa. del Arenal. This 
stream has built a rather large delta at the point where it en¬ 
ters the lake. The outlet, El Desagiie, is located at the south¬ 
western eorner of the lake, and this stream is a tributary of El 
Chorro, which flows into the Pacific ocean. 
Several kilometers of the shore line were examined and com¬ 
paratively little shallow water was found, a depth of several 
meters being found very near the shore. Along the northwest¬ 
ern shore, for example, the water descends to a depth of 52 m. 
within 12 m. to 15 m. of the shore cliff. This cliff has the ap¬ 
pearance of a fault line. Soundings were not made in all parts 
of the lake, but those that are indicated on the accompanying 
map (fig. 3) show that the slope of the bottom is steep. Several 
years ago a maximum depth of 209 m. was found; but in the ob- 
