Manicouagan crater
| Manicouagan Reservoir | |
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View from orbit (Image courtesy NASA)
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 Manicouagan Reservoir
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| Location |
Rivière-aux-Outardes, Manicouagan RCM / Rivière-Mouchalagane, Caniapiscau RCM, Quebec |
| Coordinates | 51°23′N 68°42′W / 51.383°N 68.700°WCoordinates: 51°23′N 68°42′W / 51.383°N 68.700°W |
| Lake type | annular lake, reservoir, impact crater lake |
| Primary outflows | Manicouagan River |
| Catchment area | 29,241 km2 (11,290 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Surface area | 1,942 km2 (750 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 85 m (279 ft) |
| Max. depth | 350 m (1,150 ft) |
| Water volume | 139.8 km3 (113,300,000 acre·ft) |
| Residence time | 8 years |
| Shore length1 | 1,322 km (821 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 342 to 359 m (1,122 to 1,178 ft) (Dates: 1980 to 2005) |
| Islands | René-Levasseur Island |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Manicouagan Reservoir (also Lake Manicouagan) is an annular (ringlike) lake in central Quebec, Canada, covering an area of 1,942 km2. The lake island in its centre is known as René-Levasseur Island, and its highest point is Mount Babel. The structure is believed to have been created 214±1 million years ago by the impact of a meteor of 5-kilometre diameter. The lake and island are clearly seen from space and are sometimes called the "eye of Quebec." With a volume of 139.8 cubic kilometres (33.5 cu mi), the reservoir itself is the fifth largest in the world by volume, although only 35.2 cubic kilometres (8.4 cu mi) can be used for hydro-electric power production.
The reservoir is located primarily in Manicouagan Regional County Municipality in the Côte-Nord region of Québec, Canada, about 300 km (190 mi) north of the city of Baie-Comeau. Its northernmost part is located in Caniapiscau Regional County Municipality. Quebec Route 389 reaches the eastern shore of the lake.
The crater is a multiple-ring structure about 100 km (60 mi) across, with the reservoir at its 70 km (40 mi) diameter inner ring being its most prominent feature. It surrounds an inner island plateau called René-Levasseur Island. Mount Babel is the highest peak of the island, at 952 m (3,123 ft) above sea level and 590 m (1,936 ft) above the reservoir level. The Louis-Babel Ecological Reserve makes up the central part of the island.
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Wikipedia