Question 1

True or false: Great Slave Lake is the second-largest lake entirely within Canada, after Lake Winnipeg.

Accepted Answer

False. It is actually the 10th largest lake in the world by area, but the second largest entirely in Canada is Great Bear Lake, not Lake Winnipeg.

Question 2

True or false: The lake was formed by a meteorite impact, not glacial activity.

Accepted Answer

False. It was carved by glacial erosion during the last Ice Age, not by a meteorite—though its shape is influenced by ancient fault lines.

Question 3

True or false: Great Slave Lake completely freezes over every winter, but its ice can be thick enough to drive trucks on.

Accepted Answer

True. Ice thickness often exceeds 1.5 meters, supporting winter roads and even ice trucking routes to remote communities.

Question 4

True or false: The lake is named after the Slavey Indigenous people, not a reference to enslavement.

Accepted Answer

True. The name derives from the Slavey Dene people, though early European traders misinterpreted the term, linking it to slavery.

Question 5

True or false: The lake’s shoreline is home to the only diamond mine in Canada.

Accepted Answer

False. Diamond mines like Ekati and Diavik are near the lake but not on its shoreline; they are located in the tundra north of Yellowknife.

Question 6

True or false: The lake has a submerged ancient forest at its bottom, preserved by cold, oxygen-poor water.

Accepted Answer

True. Logs and tree stumps from a forest drowned over 8,000 years ago remain intact due to near-freezing temperatures and low oxygen.

Question 7

True or false: Great Slave Lake is home to a species of freshwater seal found nowhere else on Earth.

Accepted Answer

False. No unique freshwater seal lives there; seals are rare in the lake, and any sightings are likely from migrating harbor seals via river systems.

Question 8

True or false: Great Slave Lake is the deepest lake in North America, reaching over 600 meters deep.

Accepted Answer

True. Its maximum depth is 614 meters, making it the deepest lake in North America and the second deepest in Canada after Great Bear Lake.

Great Slave Lake Trivia Questions