History of Geoheritage Day
Explore Geoheritage Day was initiated in 2006 by Beth McLarty Halfkenny, Carleton Earth Sciences Curator and Outreach Coordinator to celebrate the diversity of exceptional sites of geological significance within the National Capital Region of Canada. Held each year on a sunny autumn Saturday, the event invites the public to come out to their local parks and green spaces and learn how geological processes have shaped our landscape, given us a glimpse into past environments and provided resources for our use. Sites are hosted by volunteers from Carleton’s Department of Earth Sciences, the Ottawa-Gatineau Geoheritage Project, our partners from the Cardinal Creek Community Association and Biodiversity Conservancy International, as well as retired geoscientists and Geoheritage enthusiasts. During the pandemic, the event continued in digital version, with sites from across Canada added to the geosite map and the creation of the Canada-wide Geoheritage Day website! Although we are back to hosted sites for the Ottawa annual event, the website give us an added National reach and accessibility. We will continue to add publicly accessible sites to the map, so that folks across Canada can go out or stay in and discover Geoheritage in their own neighbourhoods.
A Geoheritage Site is a locality that meets one or more of the following:
- Exposes a significant record of natural history
- Contains characteristic or unique features
- Contributes to understanding the natural history of the region
- Offers new scientific insights
- Offers distinct aesthetic and cultural values
To make site suggestions contact earth.sciences@carleton.ca
This website was created by humans including Michelle Co and Beth McLarty Halfkenny in 2020. Thanks to Geoff Pignotta for continuing this work!