Geology & Landscape | Fresh Water | Plants Cultural Environment | Topics & Habitats

Geology and Landscape Development
The Ponhook Drumlins lie on a narrow belt of greywacke within the slate -dominated area northeast of Lake Rossignol. The till sheet and drumlins are composed of quartzite till, and their distribution almost exactly coincides with the boundaries of the greywacke from which they were derived (see Figure 12). This illustrates how closely the bedrock geology and the composition of the till are related in this part of the Atlantic Interior. The till cover ranges from 1-10 m, and averages 3 m in thickness. The drumlins are generally low, 2-20 m high, and are strongly aligned northwest-southeast.

These drumlins are very stony, and the matrix containing the rocks is very porous. Drainage is therefore excessively rapid in these Halifax sandy loam soils.

The terrain in this area is very flat, with most of the relief being provided by the drumlins. Overall the landscape is hummocky.

Fresh Water
Many lakes are found in this Unit, but surface water coverage is dominated by Ponhook and Molega lakes. A few scattered fens and flat bogs are associated with the lake edges.

Plants
These dry drumlins support a mixture of White Pine, Red Oak, and aspen with some shade-intolerant species. Burned areas often regenerate in American Beech and aspen. Representatives of Coastal Plain Flora include Buttonbush, Gold-crest, Redroot, Long's Bulrush and Cat Brier. These species are associated with lakeshore wetlands.

Cultural Environment
Lumbering and farming attracted settlers to the Ponhook Drumlins. Gold mining took place at Molega in the late 1800s. By the mid-nineteenth century, angling and hunting in wilderness backlands had become a sport for many of the well-to-do, who employed Mi'kmaq guides for moose -hunting expeditions. The sporting reputation of Queens and Annapolis counties brought many Americans to this area by the late nineteenth century. Hunting lodges were built in the 1920s, and by the 1930s tourism had become an important economic factor.