Lake Albanel is located east of

Lake Mistassini Lake Mistassini () is the largest natural lake by surface area in the province of Quebec, Canada, with a total surface area of approximately and a net area (water surface area only) of . It is located in the Jamésie region of the province, appro ...

and covers a total area of approximately . It is located in the region of Jamésie.

Quebec Route 167 Route 167 is an isolated provincial highway in Quebec, Canada. It begins at the shore of Lac Saint-Jean in Saint-Félicien. It proceeds north-west to Chibougamau away. There are no services along this long stretch. At Chibougamau, the highway tur ...

ends beside this lake. It is entirely located in the protected area of Lacs-Albanel-Mistassini-et-Waconichi.

Formation theory

In 2016, it was reported that the arc shaped lake, together with nearby

, may have been formed by a large meteor impact about 2.1 billion years ago. The rest of the 500 km diameter crater is thought to have now been mostly eroded away or buried but geological indications of a major impact have been found in the rocks around the lake. If confirmed this would be the largest impact crater found on the earth.

Etymology

Lake Albanel is named in honour of

Charles Albanel Charles Albanel (1616 – 11 January 1696), born in Ardes or Auvergne, was a French missionary explorer in Canada, and a Jesuit priest. Life Charles Albanel entered the Society of Jesus in 1633 at Toulouse. In 1635 he began teaching at various Je ...

who discovered it in 1672.

Geography

The main hydrographic slopes near Lake Albanel are: * North side:

Mistassini Lake Lake Mistassini () is the largest natural lake by surface area in the province of Quebec, Canada, with a total surface area of approximately and a net area (water surface area only) of . It is located in the Jamésie region of the province, appro ...

, Chéno River, Pépeshquasati River, Neilson River (Pépeshquasati River), Wabissinane River; * East side: Témiscamie River, Chalifour River, Perdue River (Témiscamie River), Témiscamie Lake; * South side: Chalifour River, Nestaocano River; * West side:

Rupert River The Rupert River is one of the largest rivers in Quebec, Canada. From its headwaters in Lake Mistassini, the largest natural lake in Quebec, it flows west into Rupert Bay on James Bay. The Rupert drains an area of . There is some extremely la ...

, Wabissinane River.

Main islands

Peninsulas, caps and bays

Access roads

The eastern sector of

Lac Mistassini Lake Mistassini () is the largest natural lake by surface area in the province of Quebec, Canada, with a total surface area of approximately and a net area (water surface area only) of . It is located in the Jamésie region of the province, appro ...

(including the village of Mistissini (Cree village municipality) and the hamlet Rivière-Chalifour) is accessible from Chibougamau by route 167. This road goes north to the east shore of Albanel Lake. Some secondary forest roads connect to this main road.

References

External links

Portrait de la réserve faunique des Lacs-Albanel-Mistassini-et-Waconichi
Lakes of Nord-du-Québec {{Quebec-geo-stub