Geology | Scenic Quality

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

Geology and Landscape Development
The geology in this District is dominated by Halifax slate, which occurs in folds within the Goldenville greywacke. In most

Fishing Click to enlarge

of the District the slate is overlain by Silurian White Rock volcanics and sometimes also by Early Devonian sandstones.

The Units within this District are distributed around the northern and western margins of the Atlantic Interior. Their topography reflects the somewhat lesser resistance of slate compared to the surrounding strata. The District may be divided into seven sub-Units: in three the slate has been buried by glacial deposits and forms a flat lowland, in two the slate forms valleys on the upland slope, and in two the slate forms ridges.

Scenic Quality
This District contains a variety of landscapes because it is geologically rather than topographically defined. The Sissiboo Lowlands (Unit 421) has much glacial till and as a consequence supports good forest growth and some marginal farming activity. The lack of relief is offset by numerous lakes, giving medium scenic ratings. The two South Mountain Slope sub-Units (422a and b) have deep valleys that cut back from the sedimentary lowlands, notably the valleys of the Bear, Nictaux, and Gaspereau rivers. Though small in scale, these valleys have high scenic value, particularly where there is farming settlement on the valley floor. The slate ridges of Rawdon Hills and Wittenburg Ridge (Unit 423), by contrast, rise above surrounding soft-rock areas. They have moderate relief (the Rawdon Hills being more indented) but lack of settlement and lakes gives them only medium scenic value.