You Are Here Maligne Valley, Jasper Natl Park, Alberta, Canada
N 52° 52.393 W 117° 48.309
11U E 445808 N 5858470
You are here, at the DISAPPEARING LAKE, in the majestic Maligne Valley of the Jasper National Park, in Alberta, Canada!
Waymark Code: WMCFH8
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 09/01/2011
Views: 7
Okay, so that is, really, a full mouth full.....one more time, just for good measure....You are here, at the DISAPPEARING LAKE, in the majestic Maligne Valley of the Jasper National Park, in Alberta, Canada!
And not only is it a full mouth full, it is a full EYE full, too! Look about and see the mountains, the valley, the work of glaciers, see wildlife, and tourists looking at all of it. And directly before you is the "disappearing lake", only present part of the year, then it dries up to reappear next spring and summer. Such is the mystery, majesty and MAPS of this gorgeous place!
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Here is the story of the DISSAPEARING LAKE, text taken from the signs at the above coordinates.
"The Mystery of Medicine Lake
In summer, Medicine looks like any other lake in Jasper National Park. But by October, the lake vanishes, replaced until spring by a shallow stream winding sluggishly across mudflats to a few small pools.
The water's depth varies as much as 20 m through the year. Much of the time, the lake has no visible outlet.
Indians believed the disappearance of the lake was by "big medicine" or magic, and they feared it.
The Mystery Solved
The bedrock in thi part of the Maligne Valley fractured severly during uplift. Rain-water and snowmelt entered cracks and slowly dissolved a network of underground passages. The upper Maligne River sinks into these passages through many openings in the valley floor. In summer, meltwater from snow and glaciers swells the river, exceeding what the underground system can carry. The surplus water, dammed by a massive rock slide to the north, floods the basin and forms Medicine Lake. At the onset of cooler weather in late August, the inflow is less than the drainage into the caves. The lake level drops, exposing the lake bottom unti the cycle begins again the following summer. "
Location Name: Maligne Valley
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Visit Instructions:
A photo of either you or your GPS at the site is welcomed but not required.