Athabasca Sand Dunes 

Formation of the Sand Dunes

According to local legend, long ago a giant went hunting beaver along the north shore of Lake Athabasca. The beavers had built a dam across the lake, which the giant broke open to lower the water level and find the beavers. When the giant spotted a beaver he went after it with a spear. Thinking he had killed it, he tossed the beaver onto the south shore of the lake. But the beaver wasn't quiet dead, and began kicking up sand from the ground forming the large dunes of sand of Athabasca.

Scientists tell us that the dunes began to form around 8000 years ago. Melt water from retreating glaciers flowed through spillways into Glacial Lake Athabasca, depositing sand sediments. Two of these spillways are now the William and MacFarlane rivers. As the glacial lake shrank, these sand sediments were exposed and formed into dunes by strong winds. The dune sand is recycled by wind toward the land and by water to the lake.

For thousands of years, the cycle of dune formation has continued. The lake level has dropped over the years, exposing new sources of sand in the river deltas and beaches. The dunes are kept unstable by the wind and occasional fires, which bury or destroy vegetation that has managed to take root.