Geology | Fresh Water | Soils | Scenic Quality

District 420 has been divided into three Units:
421 Sissiboo Lowlands
422 South Mountain Slope
423 Slate Ridges

Geology and Landscape Development
District 410 is underlain predominantly by resistant metamorphic

Bedford Petroglyphs Click to enlarge

rocks: greywacke and schist. It lies on the lowest part of the tilted planation surface, so elevations are low and there is little relief. The lowest part is in the southwest, where elevations rarely exceed 100 m and average 50 m. In the southeast the average is nearer 100 m, with the highest elevations around 150 m.

The bedrock is blanketed and obscured by a thin, sandy till but is exposed locally where the surface has been scraped clean. Beneath the till, the eroded folded strata produce a topography of low parallel ridges separated by shallow valleys.

Fresh Water
The drainage is controlled by glacial lineations and deposits, and the pattern that develops reflects the angle between the fold structures and the glacial direction. In the west there is parallel drainage, while in the east drainage patterns are at right angles.

Soils
Where the soils have not been burned, especially near Lake Rossignol (sub-Unit 412a), organic matter in the soil provides good forest-growing conditions. Where repeated burning has occurred, organic matter is depleted and slow to rebuild. This is the situation in the rest of Unit 412 and throughout much of Unit 413. Greater proportions of fine materials in the soils derived from schists in Unit 411 provide good forest growth.

The following description, written by C.D. Howe in 1912, applies to soils in areas where only local quartzite materials are available. It is most relevant to areas in Halifax and Guysborough counties (Unit 413) but also applies to some southern areas of Unit 412 in Queens, Shelburne, and Yarmouth counties: "[Quartzite], composed entirely of quartz and mica, when decomposed, yields about as much plant food material as glass. Moreover, the quartzite soils, unless increased by ice- or water-deposited materials, are naturally thin, often not over two inches [5cm] deep. They support an abundant growth of heath plants, like the blueberries and laurel [Sheep Laurel], whose leaves in decomposing make a sour soil. The fact that usually these quartzite soils are ill-drained adds to the acidity of the soil. In a sour condition, the vegetable matter does not decay normally but accumulates in a peaty mass called raw humus. A sour soil is no more favourable to the growth of trees than to the ordinary farm crops. While the quartzite areas have been extensively burned and are now semi-barren or barren, it is probable that this is not far removed from their original condition. At all events it may be reasonably inferred they never supported forest trees larger than those of pole-wood size."

Scenic Quality
Although this District comprises extensive tracts throughout the Southern Upland, there are common scenic characteristics. There is very little relief and the forest cover is often poor and stunted, particularly in boggy areas. Owing to the paucity of soils for farming, most areas lack settlement and therefore roads. On the positive side, the many lakes provide interest and beauty and allow extensive back-country areas to be reached by canoe. Landscapes rate from low (where lakes are absent) to moderately high (e.g., around Lake Rossignol, Grand Lake) but are generally in the medium range.