District 530 is divided into two Units:
531 Sydney Coalfield
532 Chignecto Plains

Geology and Landscape Development
District 530 is underlain by thick deposits of Late Carboniferous sandstone and siltstone, which are either flat-lying or gently folded. The strata contain numerous seams of coal, which provide evidence of the environments of deposition.

During the Late Carboniferous the landscape

Englishtown Ferry, as seen from Kelly's Mountain Click to enlarge

in this area was low, with little relief. Much of the area was covered with shallow lakes, swamps, and coastal floodplains. In some places (Unit 532) rhythmic variations occurred in the overall rate of subsidence of the basin. Periodic subsidence enabled thick layers of organic material to accumulate before being engulfed with sediments. In other places (Unit 531) the layers of organic material were separated by alluvial material deposited as the rivers meandered across floodplains.

The sandstones were deposited under continental conditions on river floodplains and contain few fossils of aquatic life. Coal seams and shales, however, provide imprints of leaves and delicate parts of plants. Fossil trees are also common and can usually be seen in present-day coastal sections.

Overall, the terrain varies from flat to rolling and is evenly covered with sandy to stony glacial till. This till is thin, and bedrock is frequently exposed at the crests of minor ridges. A complex landscape of bedrock sandstone ridges and poorly drained depressions with organic deposits characterizes these nearly flat landscapes.

Scenic Quality
These areas are generally flat and featureless inland, although the Chignecto Plains (Unit 532) exhibit somewhat greater relief. Scenic values are typically low to medium, but much higher values occur where there is farming settlement (e.g., along River Hebert and on Boularderie Island) and wherever bays and estuaries extend water views inland (e.g., Sydney Harbour and the coastal lagoons of Sydney South Side). Coal mining has produced distinctive landscape elements both at Joggins and on the Sydney field. Although there are now few active mines, coal and steel have created a highly urbanized landscape on the coastal stretch between Little Bras d'Or and Port Morien. The mining settlements are not pretty, but as planned company towns they exhibit strong architectural unity and an almost palpable sense of community.