Gignoux Lake in the Western Alps

October 15, 2013

Lago1picc

Lago 2picc

Photographer: Marco Zante; Marco's Web site
Summary Author: Marco Zante; Jim Foster

The photo above shows Gignoux Lake, also called Seven Colors Lake, in the mountains of the moon area of the Western Alps, near the border with France and Italy. It lies at an altitude of 7,635 ft (2,327 m) and is surrounded by hills composed of unconsolidated debris (sandy soil and rocks). Seven Colors Lake is a tarn. Its milky blue color is attributed to glacial rock flour. The water colors of tarns change as the composition of the rock flour changes. For scale purposes, note the people gathered at spots around the lake.

This small lake is a rather well known tourist meeting point, mostly for people engaging in trekking, mountain biking and extreme sports. It's located nearby the Via Lattea ski complex, where the alpine events of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games were held. Photo taken on July 26, 2013.

Photo details: Top - Camera Model: Canon EOS 1100D; Lens: EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II; Focal Length: 30mm; Aperture: f/10.0; Exposure Time: 0.0080 s (1/125); ISO equiv: 100; Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows). Bottom - same except: Focal Length: 18mm; Aperture: f/11.0; Exposure Time: 0.0080 s (1/125).