Lake Haiyaha's turquoise waters

Authors

  • Aman Priyadarshi M. Kumar University of Colorado Boulder

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33011/cuhj20253649

Abstract

In mid-August, I hiked to Lake Haiyaha in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park. The unusual turquoise coloration of the lake is a direct result of the 2022 Chaos Canyon landslide. The debris slide transported fine "rock flour" into the lake. These particles absorb the shortest wavelengths of light, the purples and indigos. Meanwhile, the water absorbs the longer wavelength reds, oranges, and yellows. That leaves mainly blues and greens to get scattered back to our eyes. This is what makes Lake Haiyaha appear a milky sea-green color.

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Published

2025-04-29

How to Cite

Kumar, A. (2025). Lake Haiyaha’s turquoise waters. University of Colorado Honors Journal, 48. https://doi.org/10.33011/cuhj20253649

Issue

Section

Open Media