The Metcalfe Geoheritage Park in Almonte, Lanark County; and Geoheritage Day 2016

This posting covers a few of the ways that our Geoheritage is promoted in Eastern Ontario.

The Metcalfe Geoheritage Park in Almonte, Lanark County

 

The Metcalfe Geoheritage Park in Almonte is Canada’s first municipal geoheritage park.   On September 24th I attended the official re-opening and rededication of the park, which in the past year has undergone a transformation, including the movement of the specimens,  the construction of a short walking trail, the building of concrete slabs on which to display the specimens, and the addition of signage.

The park displays over twenty large specimens of local rocks: sedimentary rocks of Ordovician age, as well as local igneous and metamorphic rocks of Precambrian age.   The following are photographs my two favourite specimens that are on display:

The first photograph shows desiccation cracks in sandstone, and provides evidence of microbial mats (otherwise such large shrinkage cracks would not be preserved in sandstone).   This specimen was discovered during the construction of the Almonte hydro electric generating station that is within a hundred meters of the park.   The second  shows stromatolites in local limestone.

In addition to the rocks on permanent display, the park incorporates space for two guest rocks.  Presently the two guest rocks on display are a specimen of Gowganada Conglomerate from the Elliot Lake Area and a specimen of Mica Schist.

Two brochures are available at the site: first, a coloured brochure with photographs and descriptions of all of the specimens; second, a black and white brochure with descriptions of the two guest rocks.   In the near future visitors will be able to use their mobile phones to digitally link each specimen with a website that will provide information on the specimen, as the Association of Professional Geologists Education Foundation is funding a project for a QR code system to link QR code signage for each specimen to web pages with content on each specimen.

The park is located in a beautiful setting beside the Mississippi River in Almonte within easy walking distance of a number of restaurants, and is worth a visit.   Ample parking and benches are provided.

Geoheritage Day - Sunday, October 16, 2016 - 10 am to 3 pm

Each year volunteers from the Department of Earth Sciences at Carleton University and the Ottawa-Gatineau Geoheritage Committee act as hosts at a number of sites throughout the National Capital Region (both in Ottawa, Ontario and in Quebec) where people can go to admire outcrops and learn about the geology of the site.  This year’s Geoheritage Day takes place on Sunday, October 16th.    These are the sites they are hosting this year:

    Champlain Bridge Stromatolites, Gatineau
    Champlain Lookout, Gatineau Park
    Hogs Back Park, Ottawa
    South March Highlands Hike, Kanata (Starts at 10 a.m.)
    Cardinal Creek Karst, Orleans
    Mer Bleue Bog, Orleans
    Pinhey Sand Dunes, Nepean
    The Haycock Iron Mine, Cantley, Quebec
    Carleton University Earth Sciences Sample Preparation Laboratory

Details and a map can be obtained at the following web page.

http://www.earthsci.carleton.ca/outreach/explore-geoheritage-day

Murphys Point Bike Loop: A Geological Interpretation,   by Bradley S. Wilson

My November 6, 2013 blog posting reviewed this brochure.   A pdf copy of the brochure can be downloaded from:

http://sgraycomm.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/murphys-point-bike-loop-aug5-13-final-download-small.pdf

Introduction to the Geodiversity of Perth: A Self-Guided Tour of Rocks on Display at the Crystal Palace, Tay Basin, Perth, Ontario, by Dr. J Allan Donaldson

This brochure can  be downloaded in pdf format from the Stephanie Gray’s web site at:

https://sgraycomm.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/perth-geohistory-booklet-sept20-small.pdf

Christopher Brett
Perth, Ontario

Suggested Readings

Anonymous
Ottawa Gatineau Geoheritage
www.ottawagatineaugeoheritage.ca/

Anonymous
The Almonte Geoheritage Project
https://luc-lafreniere-kec0.squarespace.com/s/Almonte-geoheritage-project.pdf

J. Allan Donaldson, 2009
Geoheritage 2. Examples of Geoeducation, Geoconservation and Geo-rescue Projects in Ontario
Geoscience Canada - Journal of The Geological Association of Canada, Volume 36, Number 3
https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/gc/article/view/12590/13466

J. Allan Donaldson, 2012
The Ottawa-Gatineau Geoheritage Committee Enters its Second Decade.  GAC-MAC Joint Annual Meeting, St. John’s 2012, Abstracts Volume 35, pages 35-36
www.mineralogicalassociation.ca/doc/StJohns2012_GAC-MAC_Abstracts.pdf