There is a "flood" myth about Lake Lolog, in Neuquén. Similar to the flood that originated Lakes Colhue Huapi and Musters, Lake Lolog is also said to have formed in a flood.
The story tells that where Lake Lolog is now located there was a small lake called Paila Co, which in Mapuche language means "placid waters". The lake was surrounded by bogs and marshes. Nearby lived a family whose beautiful daughter used to comb her hair by the lake every day.
On a cool fall morning a young man called her from the lake, he said he was a king and he was lonely, that if she followed him she would be his queen, and become rich. She was bewitched and followed him despite the calls from her parents to come back.
A year later, she reappeared dressed in robes with gold and silver jewels. She told them not to be sad, that she was happy, and would return once a year to visit them.
When she got ready to leave, her father took holde of her and said he'd not let her go because she was their only child. But, suddenly, there was an earthquake, and a strong gale took the girl away. At the same time the house and the parents blended into the marsh, and the lake started to get bigger, becoming Lake Lolog.
Lake Lolog has a glacial origin, and is fed by three main streams: Boquete, Nalca and Auquinco. It drains towards the Atlantic Ocean through the Quilquihue River, on the lake's southeastern tip. Its flow is 39 m3 per second que tiene su nacimiento en el extremo SE del mismo. Este curso de agua posee un módulo anual de 39 m3/sec (1,377 cu ft/sec).
The lake lies in a narrow valley that has a general east to west direction, and its upper reaches are in the main ridges of the Andes. The lake is set at an elevation of 900 m (2,950 ft). It is deep (210 m - 689 ft.) and has very clear water.
Surprisingly, a map published in 1883, shows a "tiny" lake, more or less the size of its current eastern tip. See below:
Compare it with the long, crooked Lake Lolog in this Google map, pictured below:
The old map seems to have omitted the western side of the lake. Perhaps it was due to lack of on-the-ground map-making, they hadn't gone into the Andes and only mapped the eastern tip.
It is unlikely that the lake was formed by a sudden flood. There is a marshy area on its northeastern end, called mallín Lolog (Lolog marsh), low-lying, a marsh, which runs for 2.5 km (1.6 mi) along its shores (map). The geological map of the area shown below for lakes Lacar and Lolog give the area a glacial origin:
There are extensive proglacial planes, which are flat areas that were formed by the sediment laid down by the glacial meltwater. Glacial flow was west to east as marked by the arrows (⇒), maybe the tiny lake Paila Co was in a proglacial plane that flooded when the lake reached its current levels (?).
The map showing flood danger in the Lake Lolog area (source) shown below, marks the western tip of the lake as having a HIGH risk of flooding. Was this the area that flooded when tiny Lake Paila Co was submerged?
Finally, 16 km (10 mi.) north of Lake Lolog is an active volcano called Huanquihue. It is 1.585 m tall (5,200 ft) and its last eruption took place 360 years ago (map).
Could it have caused a flow of lava, ash, melted snow down the Auquinco River into the lake, causing a flood?
Neighboring Achen Ñiyeu volcano did precisely that, with a lava flow that flowed into Lake Epulafquen, and formed a basaltic field (Escorial) altering that lake and Lago Verde. This eruption took place during historic times.
Patagonian Monsters - Cryptozoology, Myths & legends in Patagonia Copyright 2009-2025 by Austin Whittall ©
