Kaminak Lake
Encyclopedia
Kaminak Lake is a lake
in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut
, Canada
. The sub-Arctic
lake is one of eleven lakes of the Ferguson River
system which ultimately flows into the northwestern Hudson Bay
. The abandoned outpost of Tavani
is 60 mi (97 km) to the east.
region of Canada, and part of the Herne Domain Western Churchill province of the Churchill craton
, which is the northwest section of the Canadian Shield
.
concentrations in natural waters". While this offered the potential for mineral explorations, it was also notable as commercial fishing occurs in Kaminak Lake. In the mid 1970s, the Kaminak Lake fishery was moved further up the Ferguson River to Qamanirjuaq ("Kaminuriak") Lake
; it did not exhibit elevated Mercury levels. Other prospecting and mapping studies followed and exploration companies found gold at the lake, including on an island within the lake.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The sub-Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
lake is one of eleven lakes of the Ferguson River
Ferguson River (Nunavut)
The Ferguson River originates on the eastern bank of Ferguson Lake within the northern Hearne Domain, Western Churchill province of the Churchill craton, the northwest section of the Canadian Shield in Nunavut's Kivalliq Region....
system which ultimately flows into the northwestern Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
. The abandoned outpost of Tavani
Tavani, Nunavut
The locality Tavani was a mining settlement and trading post in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut, Canada. Sometimes known as Tavane, it is located on western Hudson Bay's Mistake Bay, south of the community of Whale Cove and east of Kaminak Lake....
is 60 mi (97 km) to the east.
Geography
It is within a permafrostPermafrost
In geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
region of Canada, and part of the Herne Domain Western Churchill province of the Churchill craton
Churchill craton
The Churchill craton is the northwest section of the Canadian Shield and stretches from southern Saskatchewan and Alberta to northern Nunavut. It has a very complex geological history punctuated by at least seven distinct regional tectonometamorphic intervals, including many discrete accretionary...
, which is the northwest section of the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
.
Minerals
Around 1971, after reviewing 2,000 samples, the Geological Survey of Canada discovered: "an unusual and unsuspected distribution of above background MercuryMercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
concentrations in natural waters". While this offered the potential for mineral explorations, it was also notable as commercial fishing occurs in Kaminak Lake. In the mid 1970s, the Kaminak Lake fishery was moved further up the Ferguson River to Qamanirjuaq ("Kaminuriak") Lake
Qamanirjuaq Lake
Qamanirjuaq Lake is a lake in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is the first of several named lakes on the eastward flow of the Ferguson River through the eastern barrenlands...
; it did not exhibit elevated Mercury levels. Other prospecting and mapping studies followed and exploration companies found gold at the lake, including on an island within the lake.