Silver Lake (Kawartha Lakes)

For other places with the same name, see Silver Lake (disambiguation).
Silver Lake
Map of Southern Ontario with location of Silver Lake shown with a dot
Map of Southern Ontario with location of Silver Lake shown with a dot
Silver Lake
Location in Southern Ontario
LocationKawartha Lakes, Ontario
GroupKawartha Lakes
Coordinates44°41′03″N 78°47′57″W / 44.6842°N 78.7992°W / 44.6842; -78.7992[1]
Typelake
Part ofLake Ontario drainage basin
Primary inflowsGull River
Primary outflowsGull River
Basin countriesCanada
Max. length1,300 m (4,300 ft)[2]
Max. width800 m (2,600 ft)[2]
Surface area67.75 hectares (167 acres)[3]
Max. depth14.63 m (48.0 ft)
Residence time1 year
Surface elevation258 metres (846 ft)[4]

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.

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

  1. ^ a b "Silver Lake". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  2. ^ a b c d "Toporama (on-line map and search)". Atlas of Canada. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  3. ^ a b c d "Ontario Geonames GIS (on-line map and search)". Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. 2014. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  4. ^ "Google Earth". Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  5. ^ a b Restructured municipalities - Ontario map #5 (Map). Restructuring Maps of Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. 2006. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  6. ^ Map 5 (PDF) (Map). 1 : 700,000. Official road map of Ontario. Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  7. ^ Kirkfield Lift Locks information plaque
  8. ^ Trent Conservation Coalition (2004), Paleozoic Region - Bedrock Topography and Geology (PDF), Ontario Ministry of Environment, retrieved December 26, 2009
  9. ^ Environment Canada confirms Coboconk funnel cloud was a tornado |VIDEO – myKawartha
  10. ^ "Coboconk tornado confirmed by experts". Ottawa Citizen. 2008-07-30. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
  11. ^ "Coboconk tornado confirmed". The Toronto Star. Canadian Press. 2008-07-29. Retrieved 2009-08-21.