Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States that starts from the south shore of Lake Ontario westward, circumscribes the top of the Great Lakes Basin running from New York through Ontario, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The escarpment is the cliff over which the Niagara River plunges at Niagara Falls, for which it is named.
The escarpment is a
The escarpment is not a
In
Formation
Study of rock exposures and drillholes demonstrates that no displacement of the rock layers occurs at the escarpment, which is not a
The dolomite cap was laid down as sediment on the floor of a marine environment. In Michigan, behind (south of) the escarpment, the cuesta capstone slopes gently to form a wide basin, the floor of an Ordovician-Silurian-age tropical sea. (The escarpment is essentially the remnant shoreline of that sea.) There the constant deposition of minute shells and fragments of biologically-generated calcium carbonate, mixed with sediment washed in by erosion of the virtually lifeless landmasses, eventually formed a limestone layer. During the Silurian period, some magnesium substituted for some of the calcium in the carbonates, slowly forming harder dolomite layers in the same fashion. This dolomite basin contains Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie. Worldwide sea levels were at their all-time maximum in the Ordovician; as the sea retreated, erosion inevitably began.[3]
Human geography
This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2021) |
The
In southern Ontario, the
Hamilton, Ontario, is on the escarpment in such a way that the north end of the city is below and the south part above. Commonly referred to as "The Mountain" by its residents, many roads or "mountain accesses" join the urban core below with the suburban expansion above. From 1892 to 1936, the Hamilton Incline Railway transported people up and down "The Mountain".
High Cliff State Park in Wisconsin shows how modern and prehistoric humans used the escarpment for not only cultural reasons, but economic gains, as well. A number of different animal and geometric effigy mounds and the remains of an early 20th-century limestone quarry and kiln are within the park.
The
in Wisconsin. Wind speeds average 18 mph (about 29 km/h) along this stretch.The Niagara Escarpment is a prominent Wisconsin feature in Dodge County, southwest of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin; it is known there as "The Ledge" and is in Ledge County Park between Horicon and Mayville, Wisconsin.
Many resorts and ski areas in Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, and New York are along the escarpment.
Vineyard land
Ontario's Niagara Peninsula is the site of the largest wine-producing appellation (region) in Canada. Cool-climate varieties such as Riesling, Chardonnay, Gamay Noir, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc are among the more than 30 varietals produced across 13,600 hectares (33,606 acres). Three subappellations lie along the benchlands of the Niagara Escarpment: Short Hills Bench, Twenty Mile Bench, and Beamsville Bench.[8]
Northeastern Wisconsin, at the western end of the escarpment, is the site of the 3,800 sq mi (9,800 km2) Wisconsin Ledge AVA.[9] Most of the region's vineyards lie upon the escarpment's eastern-facing slope that rises gently upward from the shores of Lake Michigan to the top of the Ledge, before dropping sharply off into Green Bay, and benefit greatly from constant air movement from Lake Michigan, which stores warmth during the summer. The presence of the lake produces a vacuum of sorts during the growing season: warm air over the lake rises, sucking colder air off the land and creating offshore breezes. Cold air cannot settle over the vineyards and a constant flow of warmer air makes the growing season here longer than in other parts of the state. The escarpment's glacial soils are made up of gravel, sand, and clay over limestone bedrock. An aquifer provides mineral-rich ground water to the vines, encouraging deep root growth.[10][11]
World Biosphere Reserve
In February 1990, the Niagara Escarpment was a designated World
Cliffs along the scarp face have the oldest forest ecosystem in eastern North America.[13] The oldest tree in Ontario is an eastern white cedar from 688 A.D.[14] The oldest known tree in Wisconsin, a 1,300 year-old eastern white cedar, was found in Brown County.[15]
See also
- Bayshore Blufflands
- Canadian Shield
- Cheltenham Badlands
- Ontario Greenbelt
- Golden Horseshoe
References
- ^ Kelly, Peter (2007-05-31). The Last Stand: A Journey Through the Ancient Cliff-Face Forest of the Niagara Escarpment (1st ed.). Retrieved 2018-04-04.
- ^ John Luczaj, "Geology of the Niagara Escarpment in Wisconsin"
- ^ "The Niagara Escarpment". uwgb.edu. Archived from the original on 2010-06-04. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
- OCLC 803101574.
- )
- ^ Joanne Kluessendorf, "A look at The Ledge", Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine, October 2010.
- ^ Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 173 / Thursday, September 8, 2005 / Rules and Regulations, page 53300 – Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau 27 CFR Part 9 [T.D. TTB–33; Re: Notice No. 33 RIN 1513–AA97. Establishment of the Niagara Escarpment Viticultural Area (2004R–589P)
- ^ "VQA Ontario · The Appellations · Niagara Peninsula". Vqaontario.com. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
- ^ "eCFR — Code of Federal Regulations". Ecfr.gov. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
- ^ "Wisconsin Ledge wine region". Wine-searcher.com. 2014-06-16. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
- ^ "Wisconsin Ledge AVA Set for TTB Approval". midwestwinepress.com.
- ^ "Biosphere Reserve Information – Canada – Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve". MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory. UNESCO. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
- ^ Kelly, Peter (2007-05-31). The Last Stand: A Journey Through the Ancient Cliff-Face Forest of the Niagara Escarpment (1st ed.). Retrieved 2018-04-04.
- ^ Ancient Forest Exploration and Research. "Ontario's oldest tree". Retrieved 2021-01-25.
- ^ The oldest known tree in Wisconsin is a 1,300-year-old cedar growing from a cliff
External links
- Niagara Escarpment Resource Network Archived 2009-08-13 at the Wayback Machine
- Coalition on the Niagara Escarpment
- The Niagara Escarpment: Wisconsin's eighth natural wonder
- The Niagara Escarpment Legacy Project