Largest Lakes in Argentina

Mar Chiquita (in Spanish literally "Little Sea") or Mar de Ansenuza is an endorheic salt lake located in the northeast of the province of Córdoba, in central Argentina. The northeast corner of the lake also extends into southeastern Santiago del Estero Province. It is the largest of the naturally occurring saline lakes in Argentina. The lake is located in parts of five departments in the two provinces.

The lake is in the Argentine Espinal ecoregion.

It occupies the southern part of a depression that measures about 50 miles/80 km (north–south) by 28 miles/45 km (east–west). Its surface area varies considerably, given its shallow depth (about 10 m), and ranges between 2,000 and 6,000 km2 (770 and 2,320 mi2).

Adapted from Wikipedia: Mar Chiquita Lake (CC BY-SA 4.0).

General Carrera Lake (Chilean part, officially renamed in 1959) or Lake Buenos Aires (Argentine part) is a deep lake located in Patagonia and shared by Argentina and Chile. Both names are internationally accepted, while the autochthonous name of the lake is Chelenko, which means "stormy waters" in Aonikenk. Another historical name is Coluguape from Mapuche, a derivative of this name is applied to Colhué Huapí Lake after Argentine explorer Francisco Moreno reached this lake in 1876 conflating it with Coluguape (General Carrera Lake).

The lake is of glacial origin and is surrounded by the Andes mountain range. The lake drains to the Pacific Ocean on the west through the Baker River. During the last glaciation the lake drained to the Atlantic through Deseado River.

The weather in this area of Chile and Argentina is generally cold and humid. But the lake itself has a sunny microclimate, a weather pattern enjoyed by the few settlements along the lake, such as Puerto Guadal, Fachinal, Mallín Grande, Puerto Murta, Puerto Río Tranquilo, Puerto Sánchez, Puerto Ingeniero Ibáñez and Chile Chico in Chile, and Los Antiguos and Perito Moreno in Argentina.

Adapted from Wikipedia: General Carrera Lake (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lago Argentino is a lake in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz, Argentina. It is the largest freshwater lake in Argentina, with a surface area of 1,415 km2 (546 mi2) and a maximum width of 20 mi (32 km). The lake's waters have an average depth of 155 m (509 ft), with a maximum depth of 719 m (2,359 ft). The deepest point of the lake is situated in the end of its narrow north-northwestern arm, in front of the retreating Upsala Glacier. This depth was discovered during a survey in 2001. The south-southwestern arm ends in front of the Perito Moreno Glacier. The glaciers debouch into the lake at these sites, making "trenches" in the bedrock. The lake reaches 541 m (1,775 ft) below mean sea level.

Lago Argentino lies within Los Glaciares National Park in a landscape accented by numerous glaciers, and the lakes of the area are fed by the glacial meltwater of several rivers. For example, the waters of Lake Viedma are fed by the La Leona River, and many other smaller mountain streams. Lago Argentino's drainage basin amounts to more than 17,000 km2 (6,564 mi2). Water from Lake Argentino flows into the Atlantic Ocean through the Santa Cruz River.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Argentino (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Viedma Lake (Spanish: Lago Viedma, Spanish pronunciation: [laɣo ˈβjeðma]) is a Patagonian lake in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, situated near its border with Chile. Measuring approximately 50 miles (80 km) in length, it is a major elongated trough lake formed from melting glacial ice. Viedma Lake is the second largest perennial lake located entirely within Argentina.

The name of the lake comes from the Spanish explorer Antonio de Viedma, who in 1783 became the first European to reach its shores.

The town of El Chaltén and the Andes peaks Cerro Torre and Fitz-Roy lie in the proximity of the lake.

Lake Viedma is fed primarily by the Viedma Glacier at its western end. The Viedma Glacier measures 3 miles (5 kilometers) wide at its terminus at Lake Viedma. The brown landscape is a result of ice scouring, which left virtually no vegetation on the steep-walled valleys.

Water from Lake Viedma flows into Lake Argentino through the La Leona River, and eventually from there into the Atlantic Ocean through the Santa Cruz River.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Viedma Lake (CC BY-SA 4.0).

The lake known as O'Higgins in Chile and San Martín in Argentina is located around coordinates 48°50′S 72°36′W in Patagonia, between the Aysén Region and the Santa Cruz Province.

Adapted from Wikipedia: O'Higgins/San Martín Lake (CC BY-SA 4.0).

The El Chocón Dam (officially the El Chocón–Cerros Colorados Complex) is one of the most iconic engineering works in Patagonia and the Argentine Republic. Located on the Limay River, in the northwestern region of Patagonia known as Comahue, it is 381 meters above sea level and approximately 80 kilometers upstream from the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén Rivers.

Conceived as part of a strategic hydroelectric development and water regulation plan, El Chocón performs vital functions: regulating the flow of the Limay River, ensuring irrigation water in large areas of the Upper and Middle Valleys, and, above all, generating large-scale hydroelectric power. Its plant is the largest in Patagonia and one of the most important in Argentina, with an installed capacity of 1,260 MW.

The dam's construction was carried out by the state-owned company Hidronor (Hidroeléctrica Norpatagónica S.A.), and it marked a milestone in the history of Argentine public works. The first generator began operating in 1972, and the dam reached full generating capacity in 1977. During the period 1974–1995, the plant produced an annual average of 2,700 GWh, becoming a pillar of the national energy supply.

Adapted from Wikipedia: El Chocón Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lake Musters and Lake Colhué Huapi (45°25′S 69°11′W, at altitudes of around 260 metres (850 ft)) form the terminal stage of the Senguerr River endorheic basin, located in the patagonic central region of Argentina in the south of Chubut province. Closest populated area is Sarmiento, an 8,000 inhabitant former Welsh immigrant colony. The lakes gave their names to the Mustersan and Colhuehuapian South American land mammal ages.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Musters and Lake Colhué Huapí (CC BY-SA 4.0).