| Quick Facts: | Lake Eyre |
|---|---|
| Country: | Australia |
| Surface area: | 9.500 km² (3.668 sq mi) |
| Avg. Depth: | 1.5 m / 5 ft (every 3 years) 4 m / 13 ft (every decade) |
| Surface elevation: | −9 m / −30 ft (shoreline when full) −15 m / −49 ft (lowest point when empty) |
| Primary inflows: | Warburton River |
| Type: | endorheic |
Lake Eyre is a shallow salt lake in South Australia, measuring about 3,700 square miles (9,600 sq km) and lying some 40 feet (12 meters) below sea level. It is the drainage point for a large area of central Australia.
The lake was discovered in 1840 by the English explorer Edward John Eyre. In the period of its recorded history it has seldom held any large volume of water, because the rainfall averages only about 5 inches (125 mm) a year and the evaporation rate is about 8 feet (2.4 meters) a year. Usually the lake is a muddy waste that is covered with a thick crust of salt.
