Western Brook Pond facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Western Brook Pond |
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 Western Brook Pond
Location in Newfoundland and Labrador
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| Location | Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Coordinates | 49°46′08″N 57°49′14″W / 49.76889°N 57.82056°W |
| Type | Fjord |
| Primary inflows | Stag Brook |
| Primary outflows | Western Brook |
| Catchment area | 171 km2 (66 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 16 km (9.9 mi) |
| Surface area | 23 km2 (8.9 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 72.5 m (238 ft) |
| Max. depth | 165 m (541 ft) |
| Residence time | 15.4 years |
| Shore length1 | 42.5 km (26.4 mi) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Western Brook Pond is a beautiful fjord (a long, narrow inlet of the sea between high cliffs) located in Gros Morne National Park. You can find it on the west coast of Newfoundland, an island in Canada. This amazing place is part of the Long Range Mountains, which are the northernmost section of the Appalachian Mountains.
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How Western Brook Pond Was Formed
Western Brook Pond is surrounded by very tall rock walls, reaching about 600 m (2,000 ft) high. These walls were carved out of the land by huge sheets of ice called glaciers a very long time ago.
From Ocean to Freshwater
When the glaciers melted, the land slowly rose up. This cut off the fjord from the ocean. Over time, all the salty water inside the fjord was replaced by fresh water from rain and streams. This is why it's now a freshwater pond, even though it used to be connected to the sea!
Clean Water and Waterfalls
The water in Western Brook Pond is super clean. This is because the rocks around it don't add many nutrients to the water. It gets its water from Stag Brook at one end and from many waterfalls that tumble down from the high plateau above. One of these, Pissing Mare Falls, is about 350 m (1,150 ft) tall. It's one of the highest waterfalls in eastern North America!
Visiting Western Brook Pond
You can reach the lake by hiking a trail that is about 3 km (1.9 mi) long. The path goes over marshy areas and low rocky ridges. It's an easy to moderate walk.
Boat Tours
From June to mid-October, you can take a boat tour on the lake. There are two tour boats, one that holds 70 people and another that holds 90. The people who run the boat tours have special training to make sure their boats don't harm the environment. This helps keep the lake's waters clean and natural.
A Giant Wave in the Past
Early in the 1900s, a large piece of the cliff around the lake broke off. It fell into the water and caused a huge wave, about 30 m (98 ft) high! This kind of giant wave is called a tsunami.
