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Mountains of Canada

Eastern mountains

The mountains of Newfoundland, the Maritimes, and the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec are part of the main mountain system of eastern North America, the Appalachian mountains. Appalachians are remnants of ancient mountains that rose between 480 and 300 million years ago, when Africa first collided with North America. It is hard to find jagged peaks in Estern Canada, so characteristic for Rocky Mountains, the signature mountain range of North America. The Appalachians were already well developed before the Rockies started to form about 100 million years ago. Over a long period of time, the eroding power of ice and water made the peaks of these eastern mountains smooth and well rounded. Once buried under more than a kilometre of ice, the mountains of the east coast are literally rising from the sea as they rebound from the weight of their recent ice cap.

The Long Range Mountains are the central feature of the Western Newfoundland Highlands, sloping gently toward the Atlantic to the east, and dropping sharply toward the narrow coastal plain along the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the west. The highest elevation of the range, at 814 metres, is an unnamed peak in the Lewis Hills located only 6 kilometres from the ocean coast.Tablelands, on the west coast of Newfoundland, is a striking 600 metre high plateau of molten rock that penetrated the Earth crust. The Table Mountain in Gros Morne National Park is made of peridotite, rock that is found in the mantle of the Earth. There are only a few places in the world where the mantle rock can be found on the surface, an oddity on the landscape that provide scientists with valuable information on the Earth's structure. Here is where the geologists and hikers can enjoy an easy "journey towards the centre of the Earth".

Peridotite rock contains largely iron and magnesium silicates which are inhospitable to plant life - hence the barren landscapes of the Table Mountain. Because of this and many other unique geological features, Tablelands and surrounding area have been designated as a World Heritage Site, and protected within the boundaries of the Gros Morne National Park.

Cape Breton Highlands in Nova Scotia is a place "where the mountains meet the sea". The Highlands are the most spectacular part of the Maritime Acadian Highlands, eastern extension of the Appalachian mountains. With an elevation of 532 metres, the highest peak in the Highlands is White Hill, located 17 kilometres west of Ingonish. Rising high above the nearby sea, the Cape Breton Highlands provide spectacular views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Acadian forests of maple and birch, blazing in late fall colours.

Ancient fern forests led to formation of thick layers of coal deposits, now harvested from the depths of Cape Breton. Modern lush conifer (containing red and white spruce, and balsam fir) and hardwood forests (white and yellow birch, American beech and sugar maple) along deep valleys bear the impact of human habitation too, as they have been cut and stripped more than once throughout history. Nevertheless, in spite of the long human interference with these natural systems, Cape Breton Highlands can still offer a true wilderness experience.

The steep, grey-white limestone cliffs of Cap Bon Ami and Cap Gaspe on the tip of Gaspe Peninsula, lie at the tip of the northernmost continental reaches of the Appalachian mountain chain. Appalachians extends southward over 2000 km into Vermont and New Hempshire, and reach as far south as Georgia.

Visiting Forillon National Park offers the best opportunity to experience the ancient Appalachians being slowly eroded away by the relentless action of ocean waves. The mountainous interior of the Park provides numerous hiking trails through dense mixed forest of sugar maple, birch, white pine, and eastern hemlock. On higher elevations mixed boreal forest is dominated by conifers, such as white and black spruce, and balsam fir. The Park is well known for its abundance of marine mammal and birds. Look for seals basking in the sun along the coast.

A short drive away is the Bonaventure Island, one of many Migratory Bird Sanctuaries found in the area, that supports a large colony of gannets, common murres and an occasional puffin. Cliffs and narrow ledges provide home to gulls, black guillemots, razorbills, double-crested cormorants and black-legged kittiwakes.

 
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