What makes the niagara escarpment special

Visit the Niagara Escarpment. Find Places to Go. Pumpkins After Dark. Winter Wonders at Royal Botanical Gardens. Rural On The Ridge. Where is Hamilton Halton Brant? Per our updated privacy policy, we use cookies to track your browsing behaviour on our site and provide you with ads or other offers that may be relevant to you. By using our site, you agree to these terms.

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Necessary Necessary. In geological terms, a cuesta or escarpment is a ridge composed of gently tipped rock strata with a long, gradual slope on one side and a relatively steep scarp or cliff on the other. With incredible rock cliffs, breathtaking waterfalls, underwater caves, and 1,year-old Eastern White Cedar trees, the Escarpment tells a fascinating story of the natural history of Ontario — a story that needs to be told for generations to come.

Geology The kilometre long Niagara Escarpment began to take shape over million years ago as the bed of a tropical sea. During the millions of years that followed, the sediments were compressed into rock, mainly magnesium-rich limestone dolostone and shale. The progressive action of glaciers, water flows and the elements caused the more resilient dolostone to weather at different rates than the shale, resulting in the very dramatic land forms that we see today: sea stacks, karst formation caves, deep valleys, scenic waterfalls, rugged hills, and perhaps most remarkable, the spectacular cliffs along the Niagara Escarpment itself.

Flora and Fauna The diverse natural landscape supports a variety of incredible ecosystems located in the heart of Canada's most densely populated region. In fact, biologists have said that the Escarpment is the most diverse region in the province. In the Niagara area , there are numerous side trails that lead to various points of interest. These are also marked, but with blue or yellow blazes. A detailed guide book to the Trail is available from the Bruce Trail. These web pages do not describe the Bruce Trail in its entirety through the Niagara area but, instead, describe selected portions that give good overviews of the natural setting of this region.

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