Shuswap Lake

Shuswap Lake

Western reaches of Shuswap Lake

The three arms of Shuswap Lake
Location South-Central British Columbia
Coordinates 50°59′N 119°1′W / 50.983°N 119.017°W / 50.983; -119.017Coordinates: 50°59′N 119°1′W / 50.983°N 119.017°W / 50.983; -119.017
Primary inflows Adams River, Scotch Creek, Seymour River, Anstey River, Eagle River, Shuswap River (via Mara Lake/Sicamous Narrows), Salmon River
Primary outflows Little River
Basin countries Canada
Max. length 89 km (55 mi)
Max. width 5 km (3.1 mi)
Surface area 310 km2 (120 sq mi)
Average depth 61.6 m (202 ft)
Max. depth 161 m (528 ft)
Water volume 19.1 km3 (4.6 cu mi)
Residence time 2.1 years
Surface elevation 347 m (1,138 ft)
Islands Copper
Settlements (see article)

Shuswap Lake (pronounced /ˈʃuːʃwɑːp/) is a lake located in south-central British Columbia, Canada that drains via the Little River into Little Shuswap Lake. Little Shuswap Lake is the source of the South Thompson River, a branch of the Thompson River, a tributary of the Fraser River. It is at the heart of a region known as the Shuswap Country or "the Shuswap", noted for its recreational lakeshore communities including the city of Salmon Arm. The name "Shuswap" is derived from the Shuswap or Secwepemc First Nations people, the most northern of the Interior Salish peoples, whose territory includes the Shuswap. The Shuswap call themselves /ʃǝxwépmǝx/ in their own language, which is called /ʃǝxwepmǝxtʃín/, but the ethnonym’s original meaning is now lost.[1]

Geography

Shuswap Lake consists of four arms, forming a shape reminiscent of the letter H. The four arms are called Salmon Arm (southwest), Anstey Arm (northeast), Seymour Arm (north), and the main lake (west). Shuswap Lake connects to Little Shuswap Lake via the Little River, which flows from the end of the west arm.

To the north-west it is fed by the Adams River, which drains Adams Lake. Shuswap Lake connects to Mara Lake at the Sicamous Channel. The Shuswap River connects via Mara Lake. In the south-west the Salmon River flows into the lake at Salmon Arm. The Eagle River runs down from the Eagle Pass in the Monashees to enter the lake at Sicamous, in the east. The Seymour River empties into the northern end of the Seymour Arm. In addition to these rivers, numerous creeks feed the lake, including Scotch Creek, which runs south to the north shore of the main arm, near the community of the same name.

Geology

The central interior plateau of British Columbia drained by the Fraser and Okanagan rivers is part of the Shuswap terrane in British Columbia and northern Washington state. It is dissected by numerous elongated, glacially-overdeepened lake basins which are formed by the same mechanisms as coastal fjords.[2][3]

Monster

Like many other lakes, Shuswap Lake has a local lake monster legend attached to it. A 25-foot long serpentine creature, known as the Shuswap Lake Monster or "Shuswaggi", is reported to live in the lake.[4]

Provincial parks around Shuswap Lake

Several parks are located on the shores of Shuswap Lake, including:

Communities

Communities bordering the Shuswap Lakes include:

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shuswap Lake.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.billposer.org/Papers/bclgnames.pdf
  2. ↑ Nicholas Eyles, Henry T. Mullins, and Albert C. Hine; "Thick and fast: Sedimentation in a Pleistocene fiord lake of British Columbia, Canada"; Geology, November, 1990, v. 18, p. 1153-1157, doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1990)018<1153:TAFSIA>2.3.CO;2
  3. ↑ Richard L. Brown and J. Murray; "Tectonic denudation of the Shuswap metamorphic terrane of southeastern British Columbia"; Geology, February, 1987, v. 15, p. 142-146, doi:10.1130/00917613(1987)15<142:TDOTSM>2.0.CO;2
  4. ↑ Shuker, Karl, P.N. (1997). From Flying Toads To Snakes With Wings. St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn. p. 222. ISBN 1-56718-673-4.
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