Glacial Landforms in the Peterborough Ontario Region
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1. Introduction 3
2. Section 1: Geology 3
3. Section 2: Geomorphology 8
4. Section 3: Hydrology 13
5. Section 4: Vegetation 15
6. Section 5: Soil 18
7. Section 6: Climate 20
8. Conclusion 22
9. Appendix 24
10. References 25
11. Maps
Introduction
This is a report based on three days of observations and testing in the region known as the Peterborough drumlin field. It will address a variety of regional elements, such as climate, soil, vegetation, hydrology, geomorphology, and geology. A variety of sites located on the Canadian Shield, the zone of thick glacial deposits to the south, and the transition between them will be the focus of the report. It is supplemented with previous research on the region. September 8, 1999, day one of the field study involved an area of largely granite bedrock that is part of the Canadian Shield and is the most northern point of study (see Map 2). September 9, 1999, day two, involved three main areas of study: the Bridgenorth esker (Map 3), Mark S. Burnham Park (Map 4), and the Rice Lake drumlin (Map 6). These sites are in areas of thick glacial deposits. September 10, 1999, day three, involved studying the Warsaw Caves (see Map 5) as a transition zone between Precambrian Shield rock to the north and Paleozoic rock to the south. A general map of the entire study region is provided by Map 1.
Section 1: Geology
Part I: Bedrock Knob
The site visited on this day was informally known as the Bedrock Knob (NTS grid reference: 120 342). It is in an area where patches of limestone and exposed bedrock are common. The bedrock is part of the Preca...
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The Starved Rock Member of the Saint Peter Sandstone is preserved as a northeast-southwest trending belt of strata that is ...
The third alluvial deposition consists of sand, silt and minor inter-bedded gravel, and again indicates Brimbank Park’s changing geology over time. (Geological map of Victoria, 1973). These deposits, as well as a nearby fault suggest volcanic activity 5-1.6 million years ago, which explains the olivine basalt (fig. 2) deposits which date back to to the Silurian and Tertiary period.
Pickle Lake, Ontario is located in the Canadian Shield landform region. This landform region is the largest region in all of Canada and was formed over 4 billion years ago. This is where most of the metallic minerals are found and there are also igneous and metamorphic rocks found here. It was formed by many different effects, one way was when the molten rock cooled it formed igneous rock creating the Shield. Another one was minerals separated into layers according to their density and then the Shield rock cooled. Then the main one is glaciation and erosion which is/was the cause of most landform creation. There are many physical descriptions of the Canadian Shield first, is there are many small lakes formed by glaciers. Next, there are also
Fleeger, Gary M., Bushnell, Kent O., and Watson, Donald W. “Moraine and McConnells Mill State Parks.” Pennsylvania Trail Geology. 2003. The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the ' Print. The.
Shortly following the glacial retreat of the upper Great Lakes region around 11,000 B.C., the flora and fauna
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Morton, J. W. (n.d.). Metamorphosed melange terrane in the eastern piedmont of north carolina. Retrieved from http://geology.geoscienceworld.org/content/14/7/551.abstract
Studying the effects of weathering and erosion on the uplifted and exposed basalt sill is important to understanding the geological events that lead to mass movements in the area. My researc sought to determine exactly what happens to a rock that has been exposed to natural weathering such as thermal, biological, chemical, and wet-dry also referred to as slaking, on a qualitative and quantitative scale. The weathering of the rocks, though apparent on the exterior of the sample, has an extreme and transformative effect on the internal structure (Gupta et al., 1999). Weathering disrupted the internal crystalline structure by producing microfactures, voids, and the deposition of clay minerals (Gupta et al., 1999). Basalt is heavily affected by weathering when concerning porosity and the formation of ...
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This artic tundra is mainly formed by permafrost, “a layer of permanently frozen subsoil in the ground. Putting frozen ground and flat landscape stops the drainage of water. As the water is being held up on the surface it makes ponds and bogs that give moisture for the plants, or countering the low precipitation. “The periodic freezing and thawing of the soil forms cracks in the ground in regularly patterned polygons”. Some areas are not drained very well causing irregular landforms. Some of these landforms like the following hummocks, or knolls, frost boils, and earth stripes. Another common area to the alpine tundra is a “bare rock covered ground” also known as fell fields, in which not alone support but helps the growth of lichens. The many “microhabitats” given by these landforms provide a variety to the tundra’s landscape.
United States Geologic Survey. USGS: Your Source for Science You Can Use. Ed. Marcia McNutt. The United States Department of the Interior, 2000. Web. 20 June 2010. .
The Don Valley Brickwork consists of many different layers of geological deposits, allowing us to observe and have a better understanding of how the sediments we see today are formed. The most bottom layer in the Brickworks are from the Georgian Bay Formation, and consists of grey- shale bedrocks. Fossils are often found in this layer and it is estimated that this deposit of sediments is around 445 million years old. Above the bedrocks is a thin layer of grey clay sand and gavels left behind by the Illinoian Glacier. This layer is called the York Till and occurred around 135,000 years ago. The next layer consists of a sandy deposit called the Don Formation, which is formed by the Sangamonian Interglacial Stage. Many plant and animal fossils are found in this layer due to warmer climate around 120,000 years ago. Above it lies the Scarborough Formation, which consist of clay and sand. This sediment likely occurred 115 - 106,000 years ago. The next layer above is the Poetry Road Formation, and consist of sand and gravel. This layer is likely formed during the early Wisconsin glacial substage around 106- 75,000 years ago. Higher is the Sunnybrook Drift which was formed 60 – 75,000 years ago. And on the surface, is the Halton Till, which was left behind by the final push of the Wisconsin Glacier.
The average elevation in the Hudson Plains is 120m above sea level. It is a flat lowland area. The land is made up of mineral soils, with few outcrops of underlying sandstone and shale. This land was created when the weight of glaciers depressed the Hudson Bay region and the ocean waters flooded areas up to 300 km inland from the current coastline. Then, during the retreat of the huge continental ice sheets, drainage into the Hudson Bay was blocked and lakes (Agassiz and Ojibway for example) were formed along th...
Krajick, Kevin. "Tracking Myth to Geological Reality." American Association for the Advancement of Science. 310.5749 (2005): 762. Print. .