Steep Rock Lake
Encyclopedia
Steep Rock Lake was a body of water near the township of Atikokan, northern Ontario
, Canada
. It was originally fed by the Seine River
.
During World War II
, a program was implemented to drain the lake. This diversion
of the river allowed open-pit mining
of hematite
iron ore under the middle arm of the lake by the Inland Steel Company
and its subsidiary Caland Ore Canada. By 1949, the site was producing a million tons of ore per year and had an estimated 500 million tons of ore deposits.
This lake was the site of an elaborate UFO hoax in 1950. In 1957, a caribou antler was discovered in the exposed silt. This specimen may have been deposited here by a barren-ground caribou at the end of the last ice age, demonstrating that the species once lived in this region. These caribou are now found much further to the north.
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, 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...
. It was originally fed by the Seine River
Seine River (Ontario)
The Seine River is a river in Kenora, Rainy River and Thunder Bay Districts in northwestern Ontario, Canada. It flows from Lac des Mille Lacs to Rainy Lake....
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a program was implemented to drain the lake. This diversion
Seine River Diversion
The Seine River Diversion is a river diversion in Rainy River District in northwestern Ontario, Canada located near Atikokan. It was built to divert water around open-pit hematite iron ore mining at Steep Rock Lake beginning in ....
of the river allowed open-pit mining
Open-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
of hematite
Hematite
Hematite, also spelled as haematite, is the mineral form of iron oxide , one of several iron oxides. Hematite crystallizes in the rhombohedral system, and it has the same crystal structure as ilmenite and corundum...
iron ore under the middle arm of the lake by the Inland Steel Company
Inland Steel Company
The Inland Steel Company was a U.S. steel company active in 1893-1998. Its history as an independent firm thus spanned much of the 20th century. It was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois at the landmark Inland Steel Building....
and its subsidiary Caland Ore Canada. By 1949, the site was producing a million tons of ore per year and had an estimated 500 million tons of ore deposits.
This lake was the site of an elaborate UFO hoax in 1950. In 1957, a caribou antler was discovered in the exposed silt. This specimen may have been deposited here by a barren-ground caribou at the end of the last ice age, demonstrating that the species once lived in this region. These caribou are now found much further to the north.