Scarborough Bluffs

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted September, 2006

Take a 10-minute walk west of the western-most parking lot in Bluffers Park at the foot of Brimley Road and you'll come to this Ontario Heritage Trust plaque which says:

Plaque coordinates: 43.702283 -79.23885

The layers of sand and clay exposed in these cliffs display a remarkable geological record of the last stages of the Great Ice Age. Unique in North America, they have attracted worldwide scientific interest. The first 46 metres of sediments contain fossil plants and animals that were deposited in a large river delta during the first advance of the Wisconsinan glacier some 70,000 years ago. They are covered by 61 metres of boulder clay and sand in alternating layers left by four subsequent advances and retreats of ice. The final withdrawal of the glacier occurred some 12,000 years ago.

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Scarborough Bluffs
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Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

Posted March 3, 2011
this was really good. thanks for that

Posted October 5, 2009
Hi, I was walking along the bluffs and found several fossils. I don't know what I am looking at. Can anyone direct me to an identification website or book for the Bluffs or Lake Ontario? I have tried the web and found a few I recognize. Now I'm hooked. Thanks in advance for your help.
Michael Bradt, Toronto, Ontario. mpbradt@msn.com

Posted February 4, 2009
As a lay person, if you were to poetically describe these cliffs, how would you put it? Cliffs of clay? Cliffs of sand? Cliffs of sand and clay? I have wrestled with this often as I grew up a block from the bluffs and write about them, or attempt to, in many genres, but have always been slightly put off by my inability to be accurate about their geology, and remain somewhat poetic. I appreciate any advice you can offer. Post here, or email me directly. Thanks. seingraham@gmail.com

Posted October 7, 2008
Very nice and helpful. Thank you.

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