Severe flooding that occurred hundreds of miles away in outback Queensland earlier this year has flowed through a region known as the Channel Country to eventually begin filling South Australia’s Lake Eyre.

The lake was named after Edward John Eyre, who in 1840 became the first European to see it. The lake does not always hold water, and is usually dry except when filled by rare, steady rains over its draining basin, which sprawls across nearly a half-million square miles.

The amount of precipitation from the rainy season determines whether water will reach the lake, and if it does, how deep the water will get. The lake can fill in strong La Niña years.

The lake filled to a peak depth of 5 feet in late May 2009, which is a quarter of its maximum recorded depth of just under 20 feet.

In the Landsat image to the upper right, taken on June 20, 2009, Lake Eyre can be seen as full as it is going to get during 2009.

The colorful sediment at the bottom of the lake is clearly visible beneath the shallow layer of water. The southwestern lobe of the lake in Belt Bay appears to have the deepest pool of water.

Since Lake Eyre is what’s known as a “terminal lake” with no outflow, the only way water can leave it is through evaporation. That leaves the lake bed rich in salts and other minerals.

During periods when it fills with fresh water, species of perch and other fish briefly provide a bounty for visiting birds and other wildlife. But the salinity of the water increases steadily as the lake shrinks, eventually causing a massive fish kill.

Full story and image: NASA