The Great Sand Hills,[3] also spelt Great Sandhills, are sand dunes in the south-west region of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The Great Sand Hills are the second largest active dunes in Saskatchewan, after Athabasca Sand Dunes, and are part of Great Sandhills Ecological Reserve,[4] which covers an area of about 1,900 km2 (730 sq mi). The sands that make up the dunes are made up of very finely ground sand called rock flour that were deposited near the end of the last ice age. The region around the sand hills is often windy and, as a result, the wind blows the fine sands around creating an ever-changing landscape.[5]
Swift Current, the fifth largest city in Saskatchewan, is 159 kilometres (99 mi) to the south-east while Leader, the closest town, is 38 kilometres (24 mi) to the north-west. Access is from Sceptre, which is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of the hills. Sceptre is home to the Great Sandhills Museum & Interpretive Centre.[6]
The Great Sand Hills were created over 12,000 years ago near the end of the last ice age as the Wisconsin ice sheet retreated. At that time, the landscape of southern Saskatchewan was much different than it is today as there were retreating glaciers and several proglacial lakes. At the height of the glacial advance 18,000 years ago, the ice sheet was almost 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) thick and as the glaciers retreated, they left behind huge piles of sandy debris, glacial till, and moraines[7] while the melting waters carved out huge spillways. The area of the Great Sand Hills, and nearby Elbow Sand Hills at the headwaters of the Qu'Appelle River in Douglas Provincial Park, was covered by Glacial Lake Bursary. The South Saskatchewan Spillway flowed from the lake and as the glaciers disappeared and the waters began to dry up, sand deltas built up causing the South Saskatchewan Spillway to change course, thereby carving out the South Saskatchewan River Valley. Glacial Lake Bursary dried up exposing the sand deltas, which are the sand hills that exist today.[8][9]
^"Maps showing Great Sand Hills, Saskatchewan". Canmaps. Yellow Maps. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
^"The Great Sandhills". Great Sandhills Museum. Great Sandhills Museum. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
^"Great Sand Hills". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
^"Unique Places to visit in Saskatchewan". To Do Canada. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
^"Great Sandhills". Tourism Swift Current. Tourism Swift Current. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
^"Welcome to the Great Sandhills Museum & Interpretive Centre". Great Sandhills Museum. Great Sandhills Museum. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
^Dale, Janis. "Glacial Deposition". The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. University of Regina. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
^Johnston, Dean (9 June 2021). "The Great Sandhills: Saskatchewan's Hidden Gem". Routinely Nomadic. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
^"Great Sand Hills". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
^"Great Sandhills". Discover Southwest Saskatchewan. Mooseworld Inc. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
External linksedit
Media related to Great Sand Hills at Wikimedia Commons
Why are there sand dunes in the middle of Saskatchewan?
April 13, 2024
great, sand, hills, also, spelt, great, sandhills, sand, dunes, south, west, region, canadian, province, saskatchewan, second, largest, active, dunes, saskatchewan, after, athabasca, sand, dunes, part, great, sandhills, ecological, reserve, which, covers, area. The Great Sand Hills 3 also spelt Great Sandhills are sand dunes in the south west region of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan The Great Sand Hills are the second largest active dunes in Saskatchewan after Athabasca Sand Dunes and are part of Great Sandhills Ecological Reserve 4 which covers an area of about 1 900 km2 730 sq mi The sands that make up the dunes are made up of very finely ground sand called rock flour that were deposited near the end of the last ice age The region around the sand hills is often windy and as a result the wind blows the fine sands around creating an ever changing landscape 5 Great Sand HillsThe Great Sand HillsHighest pointElevation727 m 2 385 ft 1 Prominence20 m 66 ft 2 Coordinates50 41 54 N 109 17 15 W 50 6984 N 109 2876 W 50 6984 109 2876DimensionsArea1 900 km2 730 sq mi GeographyGreat Sand HillsLocation in SaskatchewanShow map of SaskatchewanGreat Sand HillsGreat Sand Hills Canada Show map of CanadaLocationSaskatchewan CanadaRural municipalitiesRM of Clinworth No 230GeologyFormed byGlaciationAge of rock12 000Mountain typeSand duneSwift Current the fifth largest city in Saskatchewan is 159 kilometres 99 mi to the south east while Leader the closest town is 38 kilometres 24 mi to the north west Access is from Sceptre which is 10 kilometres 6 2 mi north of the hills Sceptre is home to the Great Sandhills Museum amp Interpretive Centre 6 Contents 1 Formation 2 Flora and fauna 3 Gallery 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksFormation editThe Great Sand Hills were created over 12 000 years ago near the end of the last ice age as the Wisconsin ice sheet retreated At that time the landscape of southern Saskatchewan was much different than it is today as there were retreating glaciers and several proglacial lakes At the height of the glacial advance 18 000 years ago the ice sheet was almost 2 kilometres 1 2 mi thick and as the glaciers retreated they left behind huge piles of sandy debris glacial till and moraines 7 while the melting waters carved out huge spillways The area of the Great Sand Hills and nearby Elbow Sand Hills at the headwaters of the Qu Appelle River in Douglas Provincial Park was covered by Glacial Lake Bursary The South Saskatchewan Spillway flowed from the lake and as the glaciers disappeared and the waters began to dry up sand deltas built up causing the South Saskatchewan Spillway to change course thereby carving out the South Saskatchewan River Valley Glacial Lake Bursary dried up exposing the sand deltas which are the sand hills that exist today 8 9 Flora and fauna editAnimals found around the hills include the antelope mule deer pronghorn fox coyote white tailed deer badger weasel porcupine and the rare Ord s kangaroo rat Local birds include the sharp tailed grouse white pelican merlin peregrine falcon golden eagle burrowing owl mourning dove and sandhill crane Vegetation around the hills is limited due to the dry conditions and poor soil but includes prairie grasses sagebrush and small clumps of trees such as aspen and willow 10 Gallery edit nbsp Information sign at the Great Sand Hills nbsp Great Sand Hills nbsp A lone tree at the Great Sand HillsSee also editList of protected areas of Saskatchewan Geology of Saskatchewan Geography of Saskatchewan Tourism in SaskatchewanReferences edit Maps showing Great Sand Hills Saskatchewan Canmaps Yellow Maps Retrieved 5 August 2022 The Great Sandhills Great Sandhills Museum Great Sandhills Museum Retrieved 5 August 2022 Great Sand Hills Canadian Geographical Names Database Government of Canada Retrieved 5 August 2022 Unique Places to visit in Saskatchewan To Do Canada 21 July 2023 Retrieved 26 March 2024 Great Sandhills Tourism Swift Current Tourism Swift Current Retrieved 5 August 2022 Welcome to the Great Sandhills Museum amp Interpretive Centre Great Sandhills Museum Great Sandhills Museum Retrieved 5 August 2022 Dale Janis Glacial Deposition The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan University of Regina Retrieved 5 August 2022 Johnston Dean 9 June 2021 The Great Sandhills Saskatchewan s Hidden Gem Routinely Nomadic Retrieved 5 August 2022 Great Sand Hills Tourism Saskatchewan Government of Saskatchewan Retrieved 5 August 2022 Great Sandhills Discover Southwest Saskatchewan Mooseworld Inc Retrieved 5 August 2022 External links edit nbsp Media related to Great Sand Hills at Wikimedia Commons Why are there sand dunes in the middle of Saskatchewan Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Great Sand Hills amp oldid 1215725534, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
