Silver Lake (Kawartha Lakes)
Silver Lake is a small lake in the city of Kawartha Lakes in Central Ontario, Canada.[1][3][2][5][6] Located near the community of Coboconk, it is the lowest lake on the Gull River, a drainage basin that supplies water at its mouth to Balsam Lake at the top of the Trent-Severn Waterway. Like many other lakes in the Kawarthas, Silver Lake lies in a depression formed between the Precambrian granite to the north, and the Ordovician limestone to the south.
Silver Lake | |
---|---|
![]() ![]() Silver Lake Location in Southern Ontario | |
Location | Kawartha Lakes, Ontario |
Group | Kawartha Lakes |
Coordinates | 44°41′03″N 78°47′57″W[1] |
Type | lake |
Part of | Lake Ontario drainage basin |
Primary inflows | Gull River |
Primary outflows | Gull River |
Basin countries | Canada |
Max. length | 1,300 m (4,300 ft)[2] |
Max. width | 800 m (2,600 ft)[2] |
Surface area | 67.75 hectares (167 acres)[3] |
Max. depth | 14.63 m (48.0 ft) |
Residence time | 1 year |
Surface elevation | 258 metres (846 ft)[4] |
Geography
Silver Lake forms a portion of the boundary between the geographic townships of Somerville and Bexley.[3][5] It is the southernmost lake in a chain of reservoirs feeding the Trent-Severn Waterway at its highest point.[7]
The primary inflow is the Gull River arriving at the north from Shadow Lake. There are three unnamed secondary inflows: one at the east, and two at the southwest. The primary outflow, at the southeast, is also the Gull River, which flows to its mouth at Balsam Lake. Balsam Lake flows via the main Kawartha Lakes chain, the Otonabee River and the Trent River to the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario.[2][3]
Geology
The lake sits atop the dividing line between the Precambrian granite Canadian Shield to the north, and the Paleozoic and Ordovician limestone to the south.[8] Granite outcroppings can be seen beginning at the midpoint of the lake, including a small island in the north end of the lake with a cottage built upon it. On the south-east end, the limestone cuesta, which marks the boundary of the limestone and granite north of the lake, rises as a sheer cliff face several metres out of the water, following the length of the river southwest through Coboconk.
Weather
An F1 (possibly an F2) tornado touched down and crossed the lake at around 2:45pm on July 26, 2008. Severe weather warnings were in effect at the time.[9][10] Large areas of forest were destroyed on either side of the lake, but no injuries or substantial damage to cottages was reported.[11]
See also
References
- "Silver Lake". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- "Toporama (on-line map and search)". Atlas of Canada. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- "Ontario Geonames GIS (on-line map and search)". Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. 2014. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- "Google Earth". Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- Restructured municipalities - Ontario map #5 (Map). Restructuring Maps of Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. 2006. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- Map 5 (PDF) (Map). 1 : 700,000. Official road map of Ontario. Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- Kirkfield Lift Locks information plaque
- Trent Conservation Coalition (2004), Paleozoic Region - Bedrock Topography and Geology (PDF), Ontario Ministry of Environment, retrieved December 26, 2009
- Environment Canada confirms Coboconk funnel cloud was a tornado |VIDEO – myKawartha
- "Coboconk tornado confirmed by experts". Ottawa Citizen. 2008-07-30. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
- "Coboconk tornado confirmed". The Toronto Star. Canadian Press. 2008-07-29. Retrieved 2009-08-21.