History of the Niagara Escarpment

History of the Niagara Escarpment. . Glenridge Quarry Naturalization Site , Niagara Region , History of the Niagara Escarpment , The story of the Niagara Escarpment began 450 million years ago when an upheaval in the earth's crust resulted in the formation of a great range of mountains along the eastern edge of North America. , , Did You Know? The old-growth forests, located along the cliffs of the Escarpment, include trees that are more than 1,000 years old! , , Geological Overview: Over time, the range of mountains were scoured by the forces of wind, rain, and ice. Rivers carried the eroded material westward. When the rivers met a large and shallow sea, known as the Michigan Basin, they deposited the mountain's sediment and formed an immense river delta. These sediments then hardened into the red shale and sandstone rocks that form the base of the Escarpment. , , Over the next 100 million years, the warm seas withdrew and left a wide, fat plain in their wake. New rivers carved out narrow valleys in the plain. Ice, wind, and water worked along the river's outer edge to slowly remove weaker shale layers underlying more resistant caprock. Large blocks of dolostone broke off the top and created the vertical face that characterizes the Escarpment. The mechanism, known is the capping process, continues today. , , The Ice Ages characterized the next 325 million years. In fact, the last three kilometres of thick sheet ice melted away only 12,000 years ago. Since the receding of the glaciers, the forces of erosion have continued to change the face of the Escarpment. , Water's chemical action slowly dissolves porous dolostone and constantly creates new caves and crevices. The Niagara Gorge was carved by the force of running water over the last 13,000 years. Patches of gleaming white ice along the exposed face of the Escarpment indicate that frost action has broken off another piece of rock and sent it hurtling to the slope below. , Today's Living History: Today's Niagara Escarpment is home to a wide variety of plants and animals. There are over 36 species of reptiles and amphibians, 53 species of mammals, 90 species of fish, and more than 300 species of birds. Many of these species are rare and can't be found anywhere else Ontario. Topography and soils associated with the Escarpment combine with other elements to produce an ideal habitat for plant materials characteristic of the Carolinian Forest Zone., Snapshots of the Niagara Escarpment Development Through Time , - 450 Million Years Ago , --- Mountains along the eastern edge of North America , --- Michigan Basin and Delta , - 425 Million Years Ago , --- Sea , - 325 Million Years Ago , --- River , - Ice Age , --- Glacier , - Present , --- Escarpment