Lake Balanan is a lake situated in Siaton,

Negros Oriental Negros Oriental (; ), officially the Province of Negros Oriental (; ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Negros Island. Its capital is the city of Dumaguete, one of the two regional centers of Negros Island Region, with the other b ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. It is a freshwater lake in the forested mountains of the southern portion of the island of Negros, with a shape resembling a figure of eight, the narrowest point between the two main portions of the lake being only wide. The lake is surrounded by mountain ranges, and is fed by three

tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...

, all located in the northern end. These are the Lamarao Creek at the northeastern corner with two waterfalls, the Balanan Creek at the middle of the northern end with another waterfall, and the Nasig-id Creek at the northwestern end. The lake has a humid

tropical climate Tropical climate is the first of the five major climate groups in the Köppen climate classification identified with the letter A. Tropical climates are defined by a monthly average temperature of or higher in the coolest month, featuring hot te ...

with two pronounced seasons, a dry season from November to April and a wet season for the rest of the year. The lake was formed by a

tectonic earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they c ...

with the magnitude of a 6.8 on the

Richter scale The Richter scale (), also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale, is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Richter in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg, and pr ...

that hit the southern portion of the island of Negros, and caused landslides in the southern ends of both the Balanan and Nasig-id ranges in Siaton. The fallen rocks and soil dammed the Balanan River that flowed between these mountain ranges forming a "

humerus The humerus (; : humeri) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius (bone), radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extrem ...

" bone-formed lake oriented along the Northwest-Southeast line. The lake and surrounding

forests A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological functio ...

are currently being managed as a Watershed Area by the Bureau of Forest Development. A proposal has been made to designate the area as a Game Refuge and Wildlife Sanctuary to protect the large population of bats and other wildlife. This proposal was endorsed by the

Department of Environment and Natural Resources The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR; ) is the Executive Departments of the Philippines, executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the conservation, management, development, and proper use of the cou ...

, Region 7, in January 1987.

History

At 5 pm on May 5, 1925, the town of Siaton was hit by an earthquake that registered 6.8 on the Richter Scale. The quake triggered a landslide that created a natural dam. The dam, called ''Sampong'' (meaning "to close"), blocked the flow of Balanan River, turning it into a lake.

References

External links

* Geographic data related t
Lake Balanan
at

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{{Lakes of the Philippines Balanan Landforms of Negros Oriental