Kluane Lake is Yukon’s largest lake contained entirely in the Territory. It is 409 square kilometres (Natural Resources Canada 2003), and approximately 70 km long. It is fed by the A’ay Chu, formerly known as Slims River which is meltwater from the Kaskawulsh Glacier. Water flows out of Kluane Lake into the Donjek River, White River and Yukon River, which eventually empties into the Bering Sea.
Kluane Lake is known for its amazing crystalline blue colour and for the winds that can make the lake dangerous. Bad weather is to be feared as the lake is very deep. Burwash Landing and Destruction Bay are located along southern shore.
The Kluane Lake Research Station is also located along the south shore and offers research opportunities in the fields of glaciology, geomorphology, geology, biology, botany, zoology, hydrology, limnology, climatology, high-altitude physiology, anthropology and archaeology.
The Denali fault extends in a northwesterly direction along the west side of Kluane Lake. It seperates sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Alexander terrane in the Kluane Ranges on the west side of the lake from high grade metamorphic rocks of the Yukon-Tanana terrane in the Ruby Ranges to the east. Thick glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine sediments dating to the Kluane Glaciation and one or more earlier glaciations underlie Kluane Lake and border it to the east.
During summer, when Slims River discharge is greatest due to melt of snow and ice, the Lake rises 1-2 meters above its winter level. A sediment plume of glacial rock flour transported by the river covers most of the southern part of the lake during ice-free periods.
Much study is ongoing regarding historical climate change using sediment geochemistry. The elemental chemistry of lake sediment can record details about weathering, runoff, lake productivity, pH, and redox conditions.
To log this cache, answer the following questions using the information from signage and online. 1. What major event took place 300 to 400 years ago?
2. What happened to water levels?
3. Looking across the lake, what can be seen 40 feet/13 metres above the shoreline? ANSWER is beach sediment...signage is gone.
4. Take a picture of yourself and/or your caching team and or your GPSr along the shores of Kluane Lake and upload - be creative. Post a note and wait for our affirmative reply to log as found. We will try to be quick.
Information drawn from a paper entitled "Geochemical reconstruction of late Halocene drainage and mixing in Kluane Lake, Yukon Territory" by Janice Brahney, John J. Clague, Brian Menounos and Thomas W.D. Edwards. 2007
Thanks to Yukon Parks for their informative signage.