Oregon's aptly named Lost Lake drains through collapsed lava tunnel

SPRINGFIELD, Ore., May 6 (UPI) -- Officials with Oregon's Willamette National Forest said a collapsed lava tube is to blame for the aptly-named Lost Lake's annual disappearance.

Jude McHugh, a spokeswoman for the Willamette National Forest, said a lava tube -- a tunnel-like structure created to drain lava during a volcanic eruption -- collapsed under Lost Lake, causing the body of water to drain and become a meadow after each winter.

"In Lost Lake, this particular lava tube collapsed and became the drain hole for that lake," McHugh told ABC News.

The Bend Bulletin created a YouTube video showing the process of the lake's annual draining.

Officials said the lake is constantly draining through the 6-foot-wide hole, but the phenomenon is more apparent during drier months, when the lake is not being filled by precipitation.