Skip to main content

Northwestern Ontario: The Thunder Bay Region

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Landscapes and Landforms of Eastern Canada

Part of the book series: World Geomorphological Landscapes ((WGLC))

  • 1013 Accesses

Abstract

The scenery and landforms of the Thunder Bay region result from a varied bedrock geology, particularly notable being the flat-topped mountain features of the Sleeping Giant, Mt. McKay and others, resulting from the intrusion of the Logan diabase sill into the Precambrian shales and sandstones of the Animikie formation. There are no Palaeozoic or younger rocks other than Pleistocene glacial sediments. The region has a complex glacial history, having been affected by three ice lobes approaching from different directions in the most recent glaciation. The chapter reviews the geological and glacial history of the region and singles out five notable landforms for detailed discussion, each of which can be easily accessed by interested visitors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Beukens RP, Pavlish LA, Hancock RG, Farquhar RM, Wilsons GC, Julig PJ, Ross W (1992) Radiocarbon dating of copper-preserved organics. Radiocarbon 34:890–897

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burwasser GJ (1977) Quaternary geology of the city of Thunder Bay and Vicinity, District of Thunder Bay, Ontario Geological Survey Report GR164, 70 p. Accompanied by Map 2372, scale 1:50,000

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawson KCA (1984) A history of archaeology in Northern Ontario to 1893 with bibliographic contributions. Ont Archaeol 42:27–92

    Google Scholar 

  • Dean JF, Phillips BAM (2011) Pre-and-Early Agassiz outlets to the Western Superior Basin. In: Miller JD, Hudak GJ, Witkop C, McLaughlin PI (eds) Archean to Anthropocene: field guides to the geology of the mid-continent of North America. Geol Soc Am Field Guide 24, pp 317–349

    Google Scholar 

  • Farrand WR (1960) Former shorelines in Western and Northern Lake Superior Basin. PhD dissertation, University of Michigan

    Google Scholar 

  • Kor PSG, Teller JT (1986) Canadian landform examples: Ouimet Canyon, Ontario—deep erosion by glacial meltwater. Can Geogr 30:273–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • La Berge GL (1994) Geology of the Lake Superior Region. Geoscience Press, Phoenix

    Google Scholar 

  • Loope HM (2006) Deglacial chronology and glacial stratigraphy of the western Thunder Bay lowland, northwest Ontario, Canada. MSc thesis, University of Toledo

    Google Scholar 

  • MacNeish RS (1952) A possible early site in the Thunder Bay district, Ontario, Annual Report of the National Museum of Canada for the Fiscal year 1950–51. National Museum of Canada Bull 126, p 25, pp 27–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Pye EG (1969) Geology and scenery; North Shore of Lake Superior, Geological guidebook no. 2. Ontario Department of Mines, 144 p

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips BAM (1977) Shoreline inheritance in coastal histories. Science 195:11–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips BAM (2000) Geoarchaeology of the Thunder Bay area, pre-meeting field excursion #3. In: Proceedings of the 46th annual meeting, Institute on Lake Superior Geology, Thunder Bay, Ontario, v 46, Part 2. Field Trip Guide Books, 40 p

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips BAM, Dean JF, Zaniewski K (2012) A Catastrophic Breach and Inter-Lake Flow through the Marks Moraine via Brule Creek and Cedar Creek, Thunder Bay Region, Ontario: a small but significant detail of the Eastern Outflow History of Lake Agassiz. In: Hollings P (ed) Institute on Lake Superior Geology Proceedings, 58th Annual Meeting, Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead University, 16–20 May 2012

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips BAM, Fralick PW (1994) Interpretation of the sedimentology and morphology of perched glaciolacustrine deltas on the flanks of the Superior Basin, Thunder Bay, Ontario. J Great Lakes Res 20:390–406

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips BAM, Hill CL (2004) Deglaciation history and geomorphological character of the region between the Agassiz and Superior basins, associated with the ‘Interlakes composite’ of Minnesota and Ontario. In: Jackson LJ, Hinshelwood A (eds) The Late Palaeo-Indian Great Lakes: geological and archaeological investigations of late Pleistocene and early Holocene environments. University of Ottawa Press, pp 275–301

    Google Scholar 

  • Teller JT, Thorleifson LH (1983) The Lake Agassi—Lake Superior connection. In: Teller JT, Clayton L (eds) Glacial Lake Agassiz. Geol Ass Can SP 26, pp 261–290

    Google Scholar 

  • Zoltai SC (1963) Glacial features of the Canadian Lakehead Area. Can Geogr 7:101–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kamil Zaniewski .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Zaniewski, K., Phillips, B., Dean, F. (2020). Northwestern Ontario: The Thunder Bay Region. In: Slaymaker, O., Catto, N. (eds) Landscapes and Landforms of Eastern Canada. World Geomorphological Landscapes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35137-3_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics