West Hawk Lake

West Hawk Lake
Satellite image (Landsat)
West Hawk Lake
Location	Whiteshell Provincial Park, Manitoba
Coordinates	49°45′54″N 95°11′16″W
Type	Impact crater lake
Primary inflows	numerous small streams and underground springs
Primary outflows	Whiteshell River
Basin countries	Canada
Max. length	4.5 km (2.8 mi)
Max. width	3.6 km (2.2 mi)
Surface area	16.2 km2 (6.3 sq mi)
Max. depth	115 m (377 ft)
Surface elevation	329 m (1,079 ft)
Islands	12
Website	Parks and protected spaces

West Hawk Lake is located in the Whiteshell Provincial Park in southeastern Manitoba, Canada. The central portion of the lake is formed by the West Hawk crater, caused by a meteor impact into an ancient rock bed composed of mostly granite. Granite cliffs surround parts of the lake. This area is also known as part of the Canadian Shield that was formed billions of years ago. Parts of the Whiteshell park have elaborate petroforms that were made by First Nation peoples, possibly over a thousand years ago. There are petroform shapes of turtles, snakes, humans and geometrical patterns, often found upon pink granite ridges that were shaped during the last ice age.

The lake has private cottages, public beaches, campgrounds and other tourism amenities, and extensive undeveloped shoreline, and is popular for boating, sailing, Wakeboarding and scuba diving. It is just north of the Trans-Canada Highway, and on the Trans Canada Trail, on the border of Manitoba and Ontario.

At 115 metres (377 ft), it is the deepest lake in Manitoba.

References

• STOP #5: West Hawk Lake Impact Crater (field trip note)