Geological Papers. 115 



LAKES. 



The lakes, besides Lake Whatcom (of which no examination was 

 made), are Wiser, Gamble, Terrell, Judson, and Sumas. 



Wiser lake is the lower end of a low area which seems to be an 

 abandoned channel of the Nooksack river ; its upper end is now a 

 swamp. The whole area empties its surplus water into the Nook- 

 sack through a small stream which connects with the lake. The 

 lake is from thirty to fifty feet deep. It was once much larger than 

 at present. It is now surrounded by a marsh. In this the peat 

 deposit is very thick ; at places it is over twenty feet. The peat 

 west of the lake covers over 400 acres. This is being ditched and 

 will soon be farmed. 



Gamble lake seems to be a closed slough of the Nooksack — an 

 abandoned channel from which a small stream flows to the river. 



Lake Terrrell was caused by the terminal moraine making a 

 second halt in its retreat here ; the space between the two dumping- 

 grounds is now occupied by the lake. This lake, which is now very 

 shallow, has had about three times its present dimensions. The 

 prevailing wind which has blown oyer it has been from the north- 

 east ; this has caused the waves to etch away the bluffs on its west 

 and southwest sides. This chopping process finally cut an out- 

 let. In the etching-out process the finer material was carried back 

 into the lake and has been no small factor in filling it up. The 

 coarser sand and boulders were left behind on the lake front as a 

 characteristic lake deposit. On account of the filling up of the 

 lake and the lowering of its level by its having cut an outlet, much 

 of the area mapped is a swamp. In this, peat has deposited to a 

 depth of three feet. This swamp region is now being reclaimed by 

 ditching and tiling. 



Some years ago a man attempted to drain this lake in order to 

 take its site as, a homestead. He was promptly stopped, however. 



Judson lake, situated in the Nooksack valley, was caused by a 

 beach bench of the Nooksack estuary damming its natural outlet. 

 Its surplus water now flows north by way of Abbott's Ford to the 

 Fraser. 



Sumas lake is the remains of the Nooksack-Fraser estuary ( or 

 sound). It is now the back-water region of the latter stream; its 

 area varies with the rise and fall of that river. It often extends as 

 far south as Sumas City. It is very shallow except in its central 

 part. At the time visited a company was being formed to dike it 

 at the south. This, it was claimed, would reclaim 100,000 acres, 

 all of which would evidently make good farm land, as its surface is 

 composed of a stratum of peat from six inches to a foot in thick- 



