Lake Cabana is an ancient lake in the Altiplano.
The lake reached a water level of 3,900 metres (12,800 ft) over the central and northern Altiplano, 90 metres (300 ft) above the current lake levels of Lake Titicaca. The Capalla-Ulloma sill, which separates the Altiplano into a northern and southern basin, did not exist at that time and it did not split up the Cabana lake body. It left deposits reaching thicknesses of 50 metres (160 ft) of thickness; they have been found on the western and eastern sides of the basin. This lake was named by a group of researchers in 1984. Other ancient lakes on the Altiplano are Lake Mataro, Lake Ballivian, Lake Minchin and Lake Tauca.
The lake existed about 1 million years ago. It was preceded by Lake Mataro and succeeded by Lake Escara and Lake Ballivian, the latter in the north and the former in the south. The Kaluyo glaciation preceded the formation of Lake Cabana. A phase of tectonic extension in the Titicaca basin may have favoured the formation of this lake. The existence of this lake may have facilitated the diversification of Heleobia snails, but increased speciation only occurred during the subsequent Ballivian episode.