Stormont Loch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stormont Loch |
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 Stormont Loch
Location in Perth and Kinross
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| Coordinates | 56°33′56″N 3°19′02″W / 56.565500°N 3.317300°W |
| Type | freshwater loch |
| Max. length | 1.06 km (0.66 mi) |
| Max. width | 0.48 km (0.30 mi) |
| Surface area | 14.3 ha (35 acres) |
| Average depth | 2 ft (0.61 m) |
| Max. depth | 3 ft (0.91 m) |
| Water volume | 4,867,000 cu ft (137,800 m3) |
| Shore length1 | 1.9 km (1.2 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 54 m (177 ft) |
| Max. temperature | 64 °F (18 °C) |
| Islands | 0 |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Stormont Loch is a small, freshwater lake (called a loch in Scotland). It has an uneven shape and some parts are slowly filling in. This loch is located inside a nature reserve. The Scottish Wildlife Trust owns and manages this special place. You can find Stormont Loch about 2 miles southeast of Blairgowrie in Perth and Kinross, Scotland.
How Stormont Loch Was Formed
Stormont Loch was created by huge sheets of ice, called glaciers, a very long time ago. It's a special type of lake known as a 'kettle loch'. Kettle lochs form when a large block of ice breaks off a glacier and gets buried in the ground. When the ice melts, it leaves behind a hollow, which then fills with water.
Why This Loch is Important
Stormont Loch is super important for scientists! It holds a complete record of how plants have changed over the last 13,000 years. Scientists can study layers of mud and plant remains at the bottom of the loch. These layers act like a timeline, showing what kind of plants grew in the area thousands of years ago. This helps us understand how the environment has changed over time.
Protected Status
Because it's so special, Stormont Loch is a protected area. It is officially called a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This means it has unique wildlife, geology, or landforms that need to be preserved. The loch is also part of a larger Special Area of Conservation. This is another type of protected area that helps to protect important habitats and species across Europe.
