| Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park | |
| Iucn Category: | Ib |
| Photo Alt: | Photo of the Athabasca sand dunes, the most northerly sand dune area in the world |
| Photo Width: | 255 |
| Map: | Saskatchewan#Canada |
| Relief: | yes |
| Map Width: | 255 |
| Nearest City: | Uranium City |
| Coordinates: | 59.0631°N -108.9622°W |
| Established: | August 1992 |
| Governing Body: | Saskatchewan Parks |
Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park was created to protect the Athabasca sand dunes, a unique boreal shield ecosystem located in the far-northwest part of the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District.[1] The Athabasca sand dunes are one of the most northerly active sand dune formations on Earth.
It first came to attention that it should be a protected area in 1969, finally becoming the Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Wilderness Park on August 24, 1992.
The park extends for along the southern edge of Lake Athabasca[2] and lies within the Athabasca Basin of the Canadian Shield. The sand dunes are long, with a maximum height of approximately .[3] The park is accessible by float plane or boat only.[4]
The William River flows through the western section of the park, ending in a large river delta. The McFarlane River flows through the far eastern section of the park. The First Nations village of Fond du Lac is about, by air, from the park's eastern boundary.[5] [6] The park goes around the Fond du Lac 231 Indian reserve, located on the McFarlane.
The Athabasca Sand Dunes are estimated to be approximately 8,000 years old, formed near the end of the last glacial period. As glaciers receded, meltwater washed enormous quantities of sand, silt and sediment from local sandstone into Lake Athabasca, whose water level was at the time much higher than currently. As the lake level declined to its modern depth, the large sand deposits were revealed. The sand dunes are quite unstable, being constantly shifted by winds, which push the dunes at the edges of the area into the surrounding forest. Evidence also suggests that fires have greatly influenced the winds shaping the dunes.[7] Unlike the dunes closer to the lake, the southern dunes are in fact quite stable relative to other areas in the region.
Geological features that can be found in the region include eskers and beach ridges. In addition, portions of the Williams River in the region flow through braided channels in the sand. Some of the dune field is covered with desert pavement.
The dunes are generally parabolic in shape. The sand almost completely covers the underlying sandstone deposits; the bedrock is around below ground on average. The entire sandy region, including areas south of the dunes, serves as an enormous aquifer, which as a result significantly affects plant life and dune development.
The area is home to numerous plant species (some of which are endemic or rare), including the felt-leaved willow (Salix silicicola), Mackenzie hairgrass (Deschampsia mackenzieana), Tyrrell's willow (Salix planifolia tyrrellii), pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata), woolly beachheather (Hudsonia tomentosa), black spruce (Picea mariana), sea thrift (Armeria maritima) and floccose tansy (Tanacetum huronense var. floccosum).