Processes that control lake development are:
1) karstification or dissolution of the underlying limestone, and 2) the collapse, subsidence, or slumping of overburden to form sinkholes. Initial lake formation is directly related to the karst topography of the underlying host limestone. Lake size and shape are a factor of the thickness of overburden and size of the collapse or subsidence and/or clustering of depressions allowing for lake development. Lake development passes through progressive sequence stages to maturity.

Kingsley Lake is in a late transitional phase (middle age) - the sinkhole becomes plugged as the voids within the collapse fill with sediment. No evidence of active subsidence was located within Kingsley Lake (A-A’, though minor, isolated, small scale, subsidence type features were found profile B-B’). The sediment plug within this main sinkhole is relatively smooth and less disturbed compared to the smaller but active subsidence features of Orange Lake.