Glaciations during the Quarternary Period have had a profound effect upon the landscapes of Nova Scotia. Glaciers changed narrow V-shaped tributaries to broad U-shaped valleys, and blanketed the province with a veneer of glacial deposits of varying thickness and form, in some areas up to 300 metres thick. The deposits were created by the action of the ice as it scoured, abraded and plucked at the bedrock during its advances across the country. Glaciers do not always erode earlier deposits. They can modify them or leave them alone. Glaciers have been described as "fickle" erosional agents.

In this Topic, the character and distribution of terrestrial glacial deposits are covered in some detail, in order to provide a basis for later topics and habitat descriptions.

This Document Includes:

Striae
Ice-Formed Deposits

Ground Moraine or Till
Drumlins
Erratics
Water-Lain Deposits

Eskers Kames and Kame Terraces
Outwash Deposits
Water-lain and Wind-sorted Sand
Karst Topography

Download PDF File (180k, 6 pages, 4 figures)

Additional Keywords:
Point Pleasant Park, Ovens Natural Park, Lake Kejimkujik, drumlins, sand, gravel, cobble stones, Boar's Back, sinkholes, caves

Associated Topics

T3.3 Glaciation, Deglaciation and Sea-level Changes
T3.5 Offshore Bottom Characteristics
T9 Soils
T10.12 Rare and Endangered Plants
T11.16 Land and Freshwater Invertebrates
T12.4 Glacial Deposits and Resources

Associated Habitats

H5.3 Cliff and Bank
H5.5 Cave