Lake Timiskaming

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Lake Timiskaming
Lake Timiskaming - Lake Timiskaming
Lake Timiskaming
Location Ontario/Quebec
Coordinates 47°20′N 79°30′WCoordinates: 47°20′N 79°30′W
Lake type Rift lake
Basin countries Canada
Surface area 295 km² (114 sq mi)
Max. depth 216 m (710 ft)
Surface elevation 176 m (580 ft)

Lake Timiskaming (French: Lac Témiscamingue) is a large freshwater lake on the provincial border between Ontario and Quebec, Canada. The lake, which forms part of the Ottawa River, is 110 kilometers (70 mi) in length and covers an area of almost 295 km² (114 sq mi). While the water level is only 176 m (577 ft) above sea-level, the lake is in places up to 216 m (709 ft) deep. There are several islands on the lake, notably Mann and du Collège Islands.

The name is from the Algonquin Temikami or Temikaming, meaning "deep waters".

The lake and surrounding area are popular for outdoor recreation. In June 11, 1978, 12 children and 1 volunteer from St. John's School of Ontario (defunct), Toronto, died of hypothermia, when their canoes capsized on a school canoe trip.

There are 30 species of fish in Lake Timiskaming, the best known are northern pike, sturgeon, lake trout, walleye, smallmouth bass, bullhead, carp, ling, perch and whitefish.

The lake was shaped during the last ice age when glaciers carved into the rock. It is also the remnants of a huge basin called Lake Ojibway-Barlow, which existed about 9,500 years ago.

[edit] Lake Timiskaming Rift Valley

Lake Timiskaming is centered on a major rift valley that extends several hundred miles to the north-east called the Timiskaming Graben. It is the northern extension of the Ottawa-Bonnechere Graben, which is part of the Saint Lawrence rift system. There have been recent earthquakes along the rift valley, the most recent being in 2000. There are numerous faults in the area and has produced cliffs such as Devil's Rock, just 5 km (3 mi) south of Haileybury and is dated to be 2,220 million years old. There are known kimberlite pipes within the rift valley that are considered to be diamondiferous.

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