What causes a lake to look turquoise?

Limestone is composed primarily of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and is white in color. As the river breaks down this rock into tiny crystals, these crystals will get mixed up into the water. When sunlight hits the tiny crystals, it will reflect that beautiful blue color.



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Fine particles of pulverized rock absorb and scatter sunlight in ways that can give water a striking blue-green color.

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The larger, silty sediments then begin settling to the bottom of the river, leaving only the finer ones suspended in the water. This is the sweet spot where you get the teal/turquoise color.

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Answer and Explanation: Glacial lakes often have a magnificent turquoise color, and this is thanks to tiny sediment particles suspended in the water called rock flour. Basically, the slow and relentless grinding of a glacier over exposed bedrock erodes the rock into tiny, silt-sized particles.

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The glacial till, which forms the end moraine, likely inhibited the drainage of water, which led to the forming of the Turquoise lake.

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Turquoise Lake History The lake is said to have naturally occurred, but was damned as early as the 19th century to help provide water for all of the mining activity in the area. As front range populations continued to grow even after the mining boom, today's Sugar Loaf Dam was completed in 1968.

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Blue water lakes contain low concentrations of algae and other substances, resulting in high clarity and a deep blue color. Water molecules absorb longer, visible wavelengths (e.g. red light, 600-700 nm) while shorter, blue wavelengths (< 500 nm) pass deeper into the water column.

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While you might think Turquoise Lake is named for its blue waters, this fresh glacial lake of nearly 1,800 acres once hosted a turquoise mine.

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By far one of our most alluring features, the sparkling turquoise waters of The Bahamas have been enticing visitors for centuries, both on land and in the sky.

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11 Lakes With the Bluest Water in the World
  • 01 of 11. Lake Pukaki, New Zealand. Westend61/Getty Images. ...
  • 02 of 11. Lake Malawi, Malawi. ...
  • 03 of 11. Crater Lake, Oregon. ...
  • 04 of 11. Lake Baikal, Russia. ...
  • 05 of 11. Lake Tahoe, California. ...
  • 06 of 11. Lake McKenzie, Australia. ...
  • 07 of 11. Torch Lake, Michigan. ...
  • 08 of 11. Moraine Lake, Canada.


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Cornwall and Devon, in southwest England, have produced several gem materials, notably quartz gems such as amethyst, rhodonite and rather porous turquoise as mining by-products.

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