As far as I know quarry lakes are created over time as rainwater fills the quarry over years. What keeps an open quarry from getting filled the same way when it rains?
Please tell me if the flair is wrong, I estimated this one to be the closest fitting.
In: 266
There is also a natural occurance of this feature, very common near where I live in Ireland.
**Turloughs** are seasonal lakes that fill in the winter when the water table rises as a result of the hogher rainfall and empty in the summer when the water table falls. This is made possible by the very porous limestone rock annd associated underwater streams.
[https://sac.jncc.gov.uk/habitat/H3180/#:~:text=Turloughs%20are%20seasonally%2Dflooded%20lakes,have%20no%20natural%20surface%20outlet](https://sac.jncc.gov.uk/habitat/H3180/#:~:text=Turloughs%20are%20seasonally%2Dflooded%20lakes,have%20no%20natural%20surface%20outlet).
**Turloughs** are seasonally-flooded lakes in karstic limestone areas, that are principally filled by subterranean waters via ephemeral springs or estavelles, and drain back into the groundwater table via swallets or estavelles – they have no natural surface outlet. Most examples flood in autumn and then drain between April and July leaving a dry floor (apart from residual pools). However, some may flood at any time of year after rainfall and drain again in a few days. Their maximum water depth is at least 0.5 m, up to several metres depth. The water is calcium-rich, and the nutrient status ranges from ultra-oligotrophic to eutrophic. Turloughs are typically larger than most seasonal ponds, ranging in size from <1 ha to over 650 ha, and because they receive no surface water inputs, they are less prone to siltation than other standing waters and can therefore be very ancient.
The vegetation of turloughs usually has a distinct zonation determined by water depth and frequency and duration of filling. In Ireland, the vegetation mainly belongs to the alliance Lolio – Potentillion anserinae, but also includes Caricion davallianae mires. Turlough organisms are well-adapted to environmental variation. Their survival strategies include aerial adult forms, production of resting stages, resistance to desiccation, or an amphibious lifestyle. Some turloughs are important feeding-grounds for wintering waterfowl.
Turloughs are vulnerable to drainage or changes to groundwater hydrology, resulting, for example from quarrying or excessive groundwater abstraction, while the groundwater itself is vulnerable to pollution from agriculture, urban areas or roads, and the vegetation is sensitive to overgrazing during dry periods.
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