A tourist hotspot for its setting in the heart of the Monts Dore, Lake Pavin intrigues visitors with the myths and legends surrounding it. Geologists and vulcanologists are interested in the formation around 6,000 years ago during the last volcanic eruption in Auvergne of this crater lake located at an altitude of 3,937 ft (1,200 m). The specific ecosystem of this unique representative of meromictic lakes in France is also widely studied by the scientific community.