Geoheritage of the National Capital Region
Many unique geological and surface landform features provide important records of the past in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. These include the billion-year-old Precambrian rocks of the Gatineau Hills, the 450 million-year-old fossil-bearing Paleozoic rocks of the Ottawa Valley and the unconsolidated sediments produced during the last Ice Age and during the subsequent time when the Champlain Sea covered much of the Ottawa Valley, less than 10,000 years ago. The present drainage systems, dominated by the Ottawa River, have been incised into this geological assemblage, and many areas within the region have been subjected to significant modification by landslides. These components of our local natural history strongly influence the groundwater reservoirs, surface waterways, agriculture sustenance, mineral wealth, biodiversity and the foundations for buildings and transportation.