Editing Sable Island (section)

==Geography==
Sable Island is a narrow, crescent-shaped [[Shoal|sandbar]] with a surface area estimated around {{cvt|34|km2}}. Despite being approximately {{cvt|43.15|km}} long, it is only {{cvt|1.21|km}} across at its widest point. The maximum elevation is about {{cvt|30|m}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Groundwater Resources of Sable Island, Nova Scotia|url=https://novascotia.ca/natr/meb/data/pubs/14ofr01/14ofr01.pdf|date=October 2014|access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref> The long crescent-shaped island rises gently from the shallows of the continental shelf approximately {{cvt|285|km}} east of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Its location, in tandem with the area's frequent fog and sudden strong storms (such as hurricanes and [[nor'easter]]s), have resulted in over 350 recorded shipwrecks. It is often referred to as ''the Graveyard of the Atlantic'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/Nova_Scotia/sable_island.htm |title=Graveyard of the Atlantic|publisher=Mysteries of Canada|access-date=January 2, 2014|archive-date=July 20, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060720192104/http://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/Nova_Scotia/sable_island.htm}}</ref> as it sits astride the [[Great-circle navigation|great circle]] route from North America's east coast to Europe. The nearest landfall is {{cvt|160|km}} to the northwest near [[Canso, Nova Scotia]].

Sable Island is believed to have formed from a [[terminal moraine]] deposited on the continental shelf near the end of the [[Last Glacial Period|last Ice Age]].<ref name=hak-sher1>{{cite web|last1=Sheridan|first1=Kate|title=The Curious Case of Sable Island|url=https://hakaimagazine.com/news/curious-case-sable-island|publisher=Hakai Magazine|access-date=September 28, 2022|date=June 8, 2015|url-status=live|archive-date=June 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610235441/http://www.hakaimagazine.com/article-short/curious-case-sable-island}}</ref> It is slowly moving as waves erode the western shore and new sand is added on the eastern shore, and continually changing shape through the effects of strong winds and violent ocean storms.

[[File:SableIsland1.jpg|thumb|left|Sable Island from the northwest]]
The island has several freshwater ponds on the south side between the station and west light; however, in recent years their protecting dune-line has been eroded to such an extent that they are changing from one year to the next. In prior years, a [[Brackish water|brackish lake]] named Lake Wallace existed in the centre of the south beach. At its largest, it extended for many miles; during World War II, amphibious aircraft landed on it. Over the years, the lake shrank with an infilling of sand, until in late 2011, it filled in entirely and disappeared. Since the south beach is subject to flooding during fall storms, photos often show water in the area around the former location of Lake Wallace; however, this flooded area is relatively shallow (only a few feet at most) and is not a remnant of the lake. The original lake was of a significant enough depth that even during times when the area was flooded, the lake could be seen in aerial photographs as a darker (deeper) patch in the middle of the flooded area.

The island is a part of the Halifax Regional Municipality, the [[Halifax (federal electoral district)|federal electoral district of Halifax]], and the provincial electoral district of [[Halifax Citadel-Sable Island|Halifax Citadel]], although the urban area of Halifax proper is some {{cvt|300|km}} away on the Nova Scotian mainland.