Reindeer Lake | |
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NASA satellite map of Reindeer Lake
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Location | Division No. 18, Saskatchewan / Division No. 23, Manitoba |
Coordinates | 57°33′05″N 102°15′32″W / 57.55139°N 102.25889°WCoordinates: 57°33′05″N 102°15′32″W / 57.55139°N 102.25889°W |
Type | glacial lake |
Primary inflows | Cochrane River (Canada) |
Primary outflows | Reindeer River |
Catchment area | 60,000 km2 (23,000 sq mi) |
Basin countries | Canada |
Max. length | 230 km (140 mi) |
Max. width | 60 km (37 mi) |
Surface area | 5,650 km2 (2,180 sq mi) |
Average depth | 17 m (56 ft) |
Max. depth | 219 m (719 ft) |
Water volume | 95.25 km3 (77,220,000 acre·ft) |
Residence time | 9 years |
Shore length1 | 3,394 km (2,109 mi) |
Surface elevation | 337 m (1,106 ft) |
Islands | numerous |
Settlements | Kinoosao, Brochet, Southend |
References | |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
Reindeer Lake is a lake in Western Canada located on the border between northeastern Saskatchewan and northwestern Manitoba, with the majority in Saskatchewan. The name of the lake appears to be a translation of the Algonquian name. It is the second-largest lake in Saskatchewan and the ninth largest in Canada. It comprises 8% of lake from Manitoba and 92% of lake from Saskatchewan.
Reindeer Lake has a heavily indented shoreline and contains numerous small islands. On its eastern shore is the community of Kinoosao, at its northern end Brochet, Manitoba; and at its southern end, Southend, Saskatchewan; and Deep Bay, which covers an astrobleme which probably formed 100 million years ago. It drains mainly to the south, via the Reindeer River and a controlled weir, to the Churchill River and then east to Hudson Bay. Water flow out of the lake is regulated by the Whitesand Dam.
Deep Bay, located at the south end of the lake and measuring about 13 km (8 mi) wide and 220 m (720 ft) deep, is the site of a large meteorite impact dating about 140 million years ago. According to local legend, it is also the location of a monster which pulls animals through the ice in winter.
Several early explorers including David Thompson traveled through the lake. It did not serve a major role in the fur trade as only a few short-lived trading posts were established. Today road access to the lake is provided by Highway 102 that terminates at Southend, Saskatchewan, and Highway 302.