At a recent conference, I chatted with a geology professor from the Community College of Baltimore County in Maryland, David Ludwikoski, and his wife Donna. They have enjoyed geo-trips to many locales, so I asked if David would share trip tips from their recent journey to Newfoundland. Let’s put on our hiking boots and head to Canada!
Sharon Lyon
Editor, GeoLifestyle
Geology of Newfoundland
Tectonic lithofacies map including Newfoundland; Courtesy of David Ludwikoski.
Newfoundland is an island in the Atlantic with a more or less triangular shape. Together with Labrador, located on the mainland, it comprises Canada’s easternmost province. The two regions are separated by the Strait of Belle Isle.
Area geology: Newfoundland is a complex welding of varying geologic terranes and ages, forming the northernmost extension of the North American Appalachian Mountains.
Three major geological zones: Each zone has distinct histories and rock types. These zones were shaped by geologic processes over more than a billion years.
Western: The Western zone contains some of the oldest rocks of the province, gneisses and granites, 1.8–1.2 billion years old.
Subduction during the Taconic Orogeny caused an area of mantle material to bulge up to the surface. This mantle material, along with obducted oceanic crust, is preserved as ophiolite sequences on land.
Between 600–400 million years ago, shallow marine carbonates and sandstones were deposited preserving fossils of marine life.
Central: The Central zone contains volcanic and intrusive rocks from volcanic island arcs built during the subduction of the Iapetus Ocean.
Eastern: The Eastern zone formed from a fragment of the Avalonia microcontinent, which joined Laurentia in the collision that closed the Iapetus Ocean.
Details from David: “[Newfoundland] is known for outstanding scenery, a wide expanse of boreal forests, fascinating wildlife, friendly people, and delicious food. Newfoundland boasts many rocky coasts, vast stretches of unpopulated forested interior, and unique wildlife—from the huge puffin colonies on the east coast, to woodland caribou on the west coast, with the sometimes-seen moose in the interior. The geology is pretty darn interesting too!”
Fjord in Gros Morne National Park; Courtesy of David Ludwikoski
Gros Morne National Park is a 1987 UNESCO World Heritage site located along the western shore of the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland. The park is home to the Tablelands, a section of mantle rock exposed at the surface.
Park geological highlights:
Peridotite forms the foundation of the park.
It is normally a dark-green ultramafic igneous rock at a depth at which its surface quickly oxidizes when exposed to form a rusty-hued rock.
When sliced and polished, peridotite shows its classic black luster finish.
Within the boundaries of Gros Morne lies Green Point, which marks the boundary between the Cambrian and Ordovician periods. Sorry, no fossil collecting here!
Trip tips: You can hike the Tablelands Trail to stand within the Earth’s mantle on land.
Get on a boat: Take the Western Brook Pond boat tour to see the park’s spectacular glacial, U-shaped valleys, fjords, cascading waterfalls, and billion-year-old cliffs.
Nearby stop: Just north of Gros Morne, Arches Provincial Park is known for its three natural arches, formed by the Atlantic Ocean surf’s constant pounding.
Learn more about visiting Gros Morne National Park here.
L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site
Excavated area at L’Anse aux Meadows; Courtesy of David Ludwikoski.
The Viking site at L’Anse aux Meadows is located at Newfoundland’s northernmost point.
History: Around the year 1001, the Sagas of the Icelanders record Viking Leif Erikson landing in three places in the west. The reference to “Vinland” may have been what is now Newfoundland.
In 1960, Norwegian explorer Helge Ingstad searched for Norse landing places along the eastern coast of North America.
A local resident led him to a group of overgrown ridges.
Together with his wife, archeologist Anne Stine Ingstad, he uncovered the walls of eight Norse buildings from the 11th century.
Archeological artifacts, including spindle whorls and knitting needles, indicate the existence of women at the site.
The presence of bog iron ore lured the Norse to the island.
Smelting the iron allowed them to make nails for ship repair, which was the focal point of the settlement.
Large amounts of slag have been found at the site.
Trip tips:
Start at the Visitor Center to see the original artifacts.
Iceberg near the town of St. Anthony; Courtesy of David Ludwikoski.
Ninety percent of icebergs seen off Newfoundland come from the glaciers of western Greenland. The rest come from glaciers on islands in Canada’s Arctic area.
Out of about 40,000 medium- to large-size icebergs that calve from Greenland’s glaciers, only about 400–800 make it as far as Newfoundland.
Almost 90 percent of an iceberg is underwater. The average depth is slightly less than its apparent length above the water.
Details from David: “Newfoundland offers the treat of seeing icebergs—both from a distance and up close. We viewed icebergs in the Strait of Belle Isle and near the town of St. Anthony. Earlier in the year, they can also be seen at St. John’s and Twillingate to the North.”
Screech was a term used for moonshine, but it is now marketed as rum, which Newfoundlanders consume with great pride. Getting screeched in is a local custom where, with much fanfare, you drink a shot of screech, then kiss a codfish on the mouth.👄🐟
Details from David: “There are many opportunities to listen to [Newfoundland’s] music and ballads, dine on cod fixed many different ways, and sample local ‘lively liquids,’ such as tea, beer, ‘iceberg water,’ and screech.”
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