Water Filled Fjord EarthCache
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The posted coordinates will bring you to a platform in the Thomas Howe Demonsration Forest overlooking Gander Lake.
Gander Lake is over 50 kilometers long and has a very deep basin descending over 900 feet (277 M), making it 4 or 5 times deeper than many parts of the Grand Banks. It has been estimated to much deeper depths, though not validated due to unclear openings in the "bottom" of the lake.
Sitting on a fault line running from Notre Dame Bay across central Newfoundland to Hermitage, Gander Lake was not a lake but a fjord before the last ice age. Localized pond and meltwater rivers deposited fine and course grain sediment on top of the glacial ice in the area running from the east end of Gander Lake all the way to Freshwater Bay, near Gambo. This meltwater spillway drained a glacier that retreated toward Gander Lake during deglaciation. As the glacier melted all of the sand and gravel that was deposited on top of the ice made a natural dam across a large portion of the fjord, where the deposits are so thick that they rise well above the height of the current lake. As the water accumulated the valley slowly filled and became what we know today as Gander Lake.
Gander Lake currently drains northward from it's western end through Gander River. The drainage outlet is between the towns of Glenwood and Appleton. Gander Lake is the third largest lake on the island. Fish diversity is low in Gander Lake with only six species encountered, which is characteristic of water bodies in Newfoundland. It is the main source of water for the towns of Gander, Appleton and Glenwood.
In order to log this earthcache you must take a photo of your GPSr with Gander Lake in the background and post it to this page, as well as email the cache owner the answers to the following 5 questions:
What is your elevation when standing on the platform?
What was the name of Gander Lake in 1850?
What was the name of Gander Lake in 1839?
What was the name of Gander Lake in 1768?
What is the average width of Gander Lake?
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)