The Oak Ridges Moraine is an ecologically important geological landform in the Mixedwood Plains of south-central Ontario, Canada. The moraine covers a geographic area of 1,900 square kilometres (730 sq mi) between Caledon and Rice Lake, near Peterborough. One of the most significant landforms in southern Ontario, the moraine gets its name from the rolling hills and river valleys extending 160 km (99 mi) from the Niagara Escarpment east to Rice Lake. It was formed 12,000 years ago by advancing and retreating glaciers (see geological origins, below). The moraine is currently a contested site in Ontario, since it stands in the path of major urban development (see political action).
Read more about Oak Ridges Moraine: Physiography, Geological Origins, Hydrology, Ecology, Research On The Moraine, Political Action, Development Pressures, Conservation
Famous quotes containing the word oak:
“When the red-cheeked, dancing girls, April and May, trip home to the wintry, misanthropic woods; even the barest, ruggedest, most thunder-cloven old oak will at least send forth some few green sprouts, to welcome such glad-hearted visitants.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)