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The Oak Ridges Moraine
Photo taken by Peter Pomykacz on the Oak Ridges Moraine
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The oak ridges moraine
What is the Oak Ridges Moraine and how was it created?
A moraine is a geological term that refers to "a mound or ridge of unstratified glacial drift, chiefly till, deposited by direct action of glacier ice". The Oak Ridges Moraine is referred to as an interlobate moraine because it was created between two lobes of receding ice. This split eventually widenced and became a large glacial lake into which huge quantities of sand, gravel, clay, silt, rocks and boulders were deposited. When the glaciers and meltwater receded, this long ridge of debris was left, forming the core of the Oak Ridges Moraine.There are many moraines in Ontario, but the Oak Ridges Moraine is one of the largest.
Where is the Oak Ridges Moraine?
The Oak Ridges Moraine is a prominent ridge just north of Lake Ontario in southern Ontario. It stretches 160 kilometres from the Niagara Escarpment in the west to the Trent River system in the east. The moraine, along with the Niagara Escarpment and the Protected Countryside Areas, form Ontario's Greenbelt.
The Rain Barrel of southern Ontario
One of the moraine's most important functions is as a water recharge/discharge area - its permeable sands and gravels absorb and collect precipitation, which slowly recharge the deep aquifers below the ground. Described as southern Ontario's "rain barrel", water from the moraine helps to sustain the health of the many watersheds that originate on the moraine, and provides drinking water to over 250,000 people.
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