This edition of "Photo of the week" is of something a bit closer to home than previous editions have been. The pictures below, excluding the sunset, were taken by me while I was TA'ing a first year geology field trip to Gatineau Park, just outside of Ottawa. The river in the distance in the photos is the Ottawa River. Of course, these photos have a geological interest as well: they show a great view of the Ottawa-Bonnechere graben. For any non-geo types reading this post a graben is the same as a rift valley.
In the Mesozoic a rift system started to open in the Ottawa area. However, this rift did not fully separate and no new continent was formed. The ground between the rift dropped and this is called a graben. Notice the sudden change between the flat plain of the Ottawa river to the Gatineau hills. That is the edge of the graben.
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| A look at the edge of the graben from Champlain Lookout in Gatineau Park. |
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| Google Terrain image of the Ottawa-Bonnechere Graben. Note the hills on either side of the flat area. |
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| A nice view from Champlain lookout showing the Ottawa River. |
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| Sunset in Gatineau Park |
Thanks for reading,
Matt
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