Carhué, Argentina

During the early 20th century, Villa Lago Epecuén, Argentina was a popular destination for tourists because of the many spas that the town had to offer.  The town resides by an inland salt lake where many people believed the water had healing properties.  On November 10, 1985, Lake Epecuén began to overflow its banks into the town.  By 1993, some parts of the town had been submerged by ten meters.  In 1989, nearby town, Carhué, was dry and above ground so people began to relocate there.

By 2009, a dry spell greatly receded the waters of the lake.  This helped expose the ruins of the old town.  The photos of the ruins are fascinating,  I highly recommend turning on the photos layer on Google Earth and exploring this place yourselves!  It is quite an interesting place.

January 3, 2003

February 28, 2011

February 28, 2011 (From a Wider View)

February 28, 2011 (Zoomed In- Villa Lago Epecuén)

February 28, 2011 (Zoomed In- Area West of Carhué)

You can find it yourself on Google Earth using these coords:      37°09'41.11"S     62°46'08.44"W

More info (and sources I used):

• http://www.termasdecarhue.gov.ar/historia.php (Spanish)
• http://atlasobscura.com/place/villa-epecuen (English)
• http://www.termasdecarhue.gov.ar/analisis.php (Spanish, but translates well)

I highly recommend that last link to the Geochemists!

Check back next week to see something I've been trying to find on Google Earth for a very long time!