Geography
Sable Island is a narrow, crescent-shaped sandbar with a surface area of about 34 square kilometres (13 sq mi). Despite being nearly 42 kilometres (26 mi) long, it is only 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) across at its widest point. It emerges from vast shoals and shallows on the continental shelf which, in tandem with the area's frequent fog and sudden strong storms including hurricanes and nor'easters, have caused over 350 recorded shipwrecks. It is often referred to as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, as it sits astride the great circle route from North America's east coast to Europe. The nearest landfall is 160 kilometres (99 mi) 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 Ice Age. It is both 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. The island has several freshwater ponds on the south side between the station and west light and a brackish lake named Lake Wallace near its centre.
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)