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{{short description|Large glacial lake in Northwest Territories, Canada}}{{For|the novel by Erin Hunter|Great Bear Lake (novel)}}{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}{{Use Canadian English|date=July 2023}}

factoids
name	Great Bear Lake |native_name = {hide}plainlist|

{{nativename|fr|Grand lac de l'Ours{edih}

}} }}Great Bear Lake (; ) is a lake in the boreal forest of Canada. It is the largest lake entirely in Canada (Lake Superior and Lake Huron are larger but straddle the Canada–US border), the fourth-largest in North America, and the eighth-largest in the world.WEB,weblink World’s largest lakes, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 August 2023, The lake is in the Northwest Territories, on the Arctic Circle between 65 and 67 degrees of northern latitude and between 118 and 123 degrees western longitude, {{cvt|156|m}} above sea level.The name originated from the Chipewyan word , meaning "grizzly bear-water people". The Sahtu, a Dene people, are named after the lake. Grizzly Bear Mountain, or Sahoyue, on the shore of the lake also comes from Chipewyan, meaning "bear-large hill".Johnson, L. The Great Bear Lake: Its Place in History. Calgary, Alberta: Arctic Institute of North America (AINA) database at the University of Calgary. pp. 236-237. Retrieved on: 30 January 2012.WEB, Natural Resources Canada-Canadian Geographical Names (Grizzly Bear Mountain),weblink 20 December 2014, Sahoyue (Grizzly Bear Mountain), a peninsula on the south side of the lake, and Edacho (Scented Grass Hills), another peninsula on the west side, form the Saoyú-ʔehdacho National Historic Site of Canada."MEMBERWIDE"> URL= HTTP://WWW.HISTORICPLACES.CA/EN/REP-REG/PLACE-LIEU.ASPX?ID=13033, 20 December 2014, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES PROTECTED AREAS STRATEGY (SAOYú-ʔEHDACHO)> URL= HTTP://WWW.NWTPAS.CA/AREA-SAOYU.ASP ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20160811002838/HTTP://WWW.NWTPAS.CA/AREA-SAOYU.ASP, 2016-08-11,

Geography

(File:Great Bear Lake (depth information).png|thumb|left|Bathymetric map of Great Bear Lake.) The lake has a surface area of {{cvt|31153|km2}} and a volume of {{cvt|2234|km3}}. Its maximum depth is {{cvt|446|m}} and average depth {{cvt|71.7|m}}. The shoreline is {{cvt|2719|km}} and the catchment area of the lake is {{cvt|114717|km2}}.WEB,weblink Great Bear Lake, World Lakes Database, International Lake Environment Committee, 2 February 2013, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110605082305weblink">weblink 5 June 2011, Great Bear Lake is covered with ice from late November to July.The lake is known for its considerable clarity. Explorer John Franklin wrote in 1828 that a white rag placed in the water did not disappear until it exceeded a depth of {{convert|15|fathom||lk=in}}.BOOK, Franklin, John, 1828, Narrative of a Second Expedition to the Shores of the Polar Sea,weblink Carey, Lea, and Carey, 264,

Arms

Arms of Great Bear Lake include the Smith Arm (northwest), the Dease Arm (northeast), the McTavish Arm (southeast), the McVicar Arm (south) and the Keith Arm (southwest). The community of Délı̨nę is located on the Keith Arm near the outflow of the Great Bear River that flows west into the Mackenzie River at Tulita.WEB, The Atlas of Canada - Toporama,weblink Natural Resources Canada, 23 January 2015,

Tributaries

Rivers flowing into Great Bear Lake include the Whitefish River,CGNDB, LAZYG, Whitefish River, Big Spruce River,CGNDB, LACXQ, Big Spruce River, Haldane River,CGNDB, LAJVL, Haldane River, Bloody River,CGNDB, LADFE, Bloody River, Sloan River,CGNDB, LAWCG, Sloan River, Dease RiverCGNDB, LAGBJ, Dease River, and the Johnny Hoe River.CGNDB, LAMBC, Johnny Hoe River,

Geology and geomorphology

Great Bear Lake lies between two major physiographic regions: the Kazan Uplands portion of the Canadian Shield and the Interior Plains. It was part of glacial Lake McConnell in the pre-glacial valleys reshaped by erosional ice during the Pleistocene. Since, the lake has changed from post-glacial rebound following the ice melting. Precambrian rocks of the Canadian Shield form the eastern margin of the McTavish Arm. These rocks of the Precambrian are sedimentary and metamorphic deposits supplemented by igneous intrusions forming dikes and sills.WEB,weblink Great Bear Lake, Lionel Johnson, Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans Freshwater Institute, 2015-02-12,

Climate

{{Délı̨nę weatherbox}}

Human use

The community of Délı̨nę is on the lake, near the headwaters of the Bear River.WEB,weblink Deline - "Where the Water Flows", Spectacular Northwest Territories, Northwest Territories, 19 August 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140726215813weblink">weblink 26 July 2014, There is an ice crossing from Délı̨nę to the winter road on the far side of the Great Bear River.WEB,weblink Impassable ice roads delay holiday travel, 23 December 2009, CBC News: North, CBC, 2 February 2013, WEB,weblink Open and Close Dates for the NWT's Community Access Roads, Transportation, Government of the Northwest Territories, 2 February 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130104125657weblink">weblink 4 January 2013, On 5 March 2016, a tank truck fell partway through the ice road just a few days after the government had increased the allowed maximum weight limit to {{cvt|40000|kg}} on the road.WEB,weblink Fuel tanker plunges through Deline, N.W.T., ice road, 5 March 2016, CBC News, Chris, Windeyer, The truck, which was {{cvt|3|km}} outside of Délı̨nę and close to the community's fresh water intake, as well as a major fishing area, contained approximately {{cvt|30000|L}} of heating fuel and was one of 70 truck loads intended to resupply the community.WEB,weblink N.W.T. hopes to remove fuel from tanker stuck in ice near Deline quickly, 7 March 2016, CBC News, Guy, Quenneville, The fuel was removed from the truck by 2 am, 8 March.WEB,weblink Fuel load successfully drained from tanker stuck in ice near Deline, N.W.T., 8 March 2016, CBC News, Guy, Quenneville, Three lodges around the lake are destinations for fishing and hunting. In 1995, a {{cvt|32.65|kg}} lake trout was caught, the largest ever caught anywhere by angling.WEB,weblink International Game Fish Association - Trout, lake (Salvelinus namaycush), 25 July 2023,

Mining

In 1930, Gilbert LaBine discovered uranium deposits in the Great Bear Lake region. The former mining area Port Radium, site of the Eldorado Mine, where pitchblende was discovered, was located on the eastern shore. Echo Bay Mines Limited leased the old camp and mill at Port Radium to recover silver and copper values from 1965 to 1981.BOOK, Schiller, E A, Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 65-11,weblink Natural Resources Canada, 42–, GGKEY:CR5H58XXBJZ,

Cultural significance

The Prophecy

Great Bear Lake is paramount in the Délı̨nę peoples' identity, laws and culture. Hence, conserving it is critical for the Délı̨nę people. ɂehtsǝ́o Erǝ́ya, a Dene Elder, is widely regarded as a prophet, making over 30 prophecies which have been interpreted as having come true.WEB,weblink Prophet Ayah: Nostradamus of the North, Wohlberg, M., 22 January 2016, Edge North, 25 July 2023, His prediction for the end of times claims that, as the world dries up, the little remaining life will flock to, and end on the banks of the Great Bear Lake, a lake seen as a physical beating heart to humanity.Sakardi, L. (26 December 2017). Inside the fight to protect the Arctic’s “Water Heart”. Retrieved from Canadian Geographic The Délı̨nę people have followed these prophecies closely, the cultural considerations being a driving force for self-governance and environmental sustainability.inchey, G., & Kyle, K. (31 August 2016). Deline set to launch historic self-government, 20 years in the making Retrieved from CBC News

Gallery

File:Fort Confidence2.jpg|Ruins of Fort Confidence at the mouth of the Dease River in 1911File:Deline4.jpg|The community of Délı̨nę on Great Bear LakeFile:Bear Mountain, Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories.jpg|Grizzly Bear Mountain, Great Bear LakeFile:GreatBearLake_Canada_nwcanada_amo_2005235_lrg.jpg|Smoke from forest fires in Alaska blows over Great Bear LakeFile:Great Bear Lake.jpg|Great Bear Lake. Note the smoke plumes from wildfires

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category}}

• 1867 account of the lake by William Carpenter Bompas

{{Northwest Territories hydrography}}{{Northwest Territories parks}}{{Authority control}}