How does water quality in Yukon compare with that in Northwest Territories?
The Yukon has much more variable water quality and generally higher levels of sediment than the Northwest Territories, except for the mountainous western part of the Mackenzie River basin. This is due in part to the more rugged terrain in the Yukon, which has several large mountain ranges (such as the St. Elias on the west and the Mackenzie Mountains on the east). Much of the rest of the Northwest Territories is dominated by Canadian Shield terrain, which is much older, has less relief, and is largely scraped bare of readily erodible material by continental glaciation. The extreme seasons in the Yukon, combined with its complex geology, glaciation, and sources of erodible material, are also a contributing factor.
