Cobequid Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Cobequid Mountains, also sometimes referred to as the Cobequid Hills, is a Canadian
mountain range
located in Nova Scotia
in the mainland portion of the province
.
. The range stretches from Cape Chignecto
in Cumberland County
in the west through to Pictou County
in the east.
The Cobequid Mountains trace their geologic history to the Precambrian
and Devonian
ages; consequently the mountains are composed of a combination of sediments, granites, and volcanic rock all of which has been crushed and folded by continental drift
when this part of Nova Scotia was located at the centre of the Pangea supercontinent. Subsequent erosion over millions of years has resulted in the present-day low range of mountains and rolling hills.
The part of northern Nova Scotia which contains the Cobequid Mountains is believed to have been linked with what is now northern Europe
. Its collision with a section from present-day northern Africa
has resulted in the current landscape in the province; a remnant fault line from this event, the Cobequid-Chedabucto Fault, extends along the southern portion of the Cobequid Mountains, immediately north of the Minas Basin
and Cobequid Bay
east to Canso
.
Some mistakenly consider the Cobequid Mountains to extend into Antigonish County
further east, however this smaller range is geologically distinct and is named the Pictou-Antigonish Highlands.http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/nhns2/300/312.htm
(360 m (1,181 ft)). Other high peaks include Higgins Mountain (355 m (1,165 ft)), Dalhousie Mountain
(335 m (1,099 ft)), and Mt. Thom.
and north into Northumberland Strait
. Several escarpment
s associated with the Fundy Basin
have been formed from fault
lines, resulting in a number of waterfalls on the southern mountain slopes.
(also known locally as 'rock maple') and yellow birch
on mountain slopes, which present spectacular displays in autumn with the changing of the colours
. Steep stream and river valleys are dominated by red spruce
stands. The lower slopes consist of balsam fir
, red spruce
, black spruce
, white spruce
, paper birch
, red maple
and silver maple
(also known locally as 'white maple').
The sedimentary deposits in the Cobequid Mountains hold several coal
deposits in various basins, stretching across the northern slope of the mountains in Cumberland County (from Joggins
through River Hebert
to Springhill
) and on the southern edge at Debert
. Igneous rocks yielded iron ore at Londonderry
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
mountain range
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
located in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
in the mainland portion of the province
Nova Scotia peninsula
The Nova Scotia peninsula is a peninsula on the Atlantic coast of North America.-Location:The Nova Scotia peninsula is part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada and is connected to the neighbouring province of New Brunswick through the Isthmus of Chignecto...
.
Geologic history
Geologically, the Cobequid Mountains are considered part of the AppalachiansAppalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
. The range stretches from Cape Chignecto
Cape Chignecto
Cape Chignecto is a headland located on the Bay of Fundy coast of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.Cape Chignecto is located at the westernmost tip of Cumberland County and is the western limit of the Cobequid Hills, a low mountain range that is part of the Appalachian Mountains and extends...
in Cumberland County
Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
Cumberland County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.-History:The name Cumberland was applied by Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Monckton to the captured Fort Beauséjour on June 18, 1755 in honour of the third son of King George II, William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, victor at...
in the west through to Pictou County
Pictou County, Nova Scotia
Pictou County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It was established in 1835, and was formerly a part of Halifax County from 1759 to 1835. It had a population of 46,513 people in 2006, which represents a decline of 6.3 percent from 1991. It is the sixth most populous county in Nova...
in the east.
The Cobequid Mountains trace their geologic history to the Precambrian
Precambrian
The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...
and Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
ages; consequently the mountains are composed of a combination of sediments, granites, and volcanic rock all of which has been crushed and folded by continental drift
Continental drift
Continental drift is the movement of the Earth's continents relative to each other. The hypothesis that continents 'drift' was first put forward by Abraham Ortelius in 1596 and was fully developed by Alfred Wegener in 1912...
when this part of Nova Scotia was located at the centre of the Pangea supercontinent. Subsequent erosion over millions of years has resulted in the present-day low range of mountains and rolling hills.
The part of northern Nova Scotia which contains the Cobequid Mountains is believed to have been linked with what is now northern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Its collision with a section from present-day northern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
has resulted in the current landscape in the province; a remnant fault line from this event, the Cobequid-Chedabucto Fault, extends along the southern portion of the Cobequid Mountains, immediately north of the Minas Basin
Minas Basin
The Minas Basin is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy and a sub-basin of the Fundy Basin located in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is known for its extremely high tides.- Geography :- Boundary :...
and Cobequid Bay
Cobequid Bay
Cobequid Bay is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy and the easternmost part of the Minas Basin, located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The bay was carved by rivers flowing into the eastern end of the Bay of Fundy....
east to Canso
Canso, Nova Scotia
For the headland, see Cape Canso.Canso is a small Canadian town in Guysborough County, on the north-eastern tip of mainland Nova Scotia, next to Chedabucto Bay. The area was established in 1604, along with Port Royal, Nova Scotia. The British construction of a fort in the village , was instrumental...
.
Some mistakenly consider the Cobequid Mountains to extend into Antigonish County
Antigonish County, Nova Scotia
Antigonish County, Nova Scotia is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in northern Nova Scotia on the Northumberland Strait and its county seat is the town of Antigonish.-History:...
further east, however this smaller range is geologically distinct and is named the Pictou-Antigonish Highlands.http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/nhns2/300/312.htm
Highest elevations
The Cobequid Mountains remain largely uninhabited (by humans), with the highest point being Nuttby MountainNuttby Mountain
Nuttby Mountain is a Canadian peak in the Cobequid Hills and the highest elevation point on the mainland portion of Nova Scotia.Located west of Route 311 north of Truro, the peak is accessible by vehicle using a gated road and is topped by telecommunication towers and a forest fire surveillance tower...
(360 m (1,181 ft)). Other high peaks include Higgins Mountain (355 m (1,165 ft)), Dalhousie Mountain
Dalhousie Mountain
Dalhousie Mountain Wind Farms is a large wind farm project near New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. It consists of 31 wind turbines that produce a total of 51 MW . Along Highway 101 passing over Mount Thom motorists can see the 31 turbines on each side of Mt. Dalhouse. "It is quite a sight to see when they ...
(335 m (1,099 ft)), and Mt. Thom.
Freshwater resources
The range contains an abundance of freshwater lakes and some springs which form headwaters that flow via a number of small rivers and streams south into the Minas BasinMinas Basin
The Minas Basin is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy and a sub-basin of the Fundy Basin located in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is known for its extremely high tides.- Geography :- Boundary :...
and north into Northumberland Strait
Northumberland Strait
The Northumberland Strait is a strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern Canada...
. Several escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
s associated with the Fundy Basin
Fundy Basin
The Fundy Basin is a sediment-filled rift basin on the Atlantic coast of southeastern Canada. It contains three sub-basins; the Fundy sub-basin, the Minas Basin and the Chignecto Basin. These arms meet at the Bay of Fundy, which is contained within the rift valley. From the Bay of Fundy, the Minas...
have been formed from fault
Geologic fault
In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock, across which there has been significant displacement along the fractures as a result of earth movement. Large faults within the Earth's crust result from the action of tectonic forces...
lines, resulting in a number of waterfalls on the southern mountain slopes.
Forests and mineral resources
Forests covering the Cobequid Mountains are mainly of hardwood species sugar mapleSugar Maple
Acer saccharum is a species of maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas...
(also known locally as 'rock maple') and yellow birch
Yellow Birch
Betula alleghaniensis , is a species of birch native to eastern North America, from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, southern Quebec and Ontario, and the southeast corner of Manitoba in Canada, west to Minnesota, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.It is a...
on mountain slopes, which present spectacular displays in autumn with the changing of the colours
Autumn leaf color
Autumn leaf color is a phenomenon that affects the normally green leaves of many deciduous trees and shrubs by which they take on, during a few weeks in the autumn season, one or many colors that range from red to yellow...
. Steep stream and river valleys are dominated by red spruce
Red Spruce
Picea rubens is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and from New England south in the Adirondack Mountains and Appalachians to western North Carolina.-Physical description:...
stands. The lower slopes consist of balsam fir
Balsam Fir
The balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada and the northeastern United States .-Growth:It is a small to medium-size evergreen tree typically tall, rarely to tall, with a narrow conic crown...
, red spruce
Red Spruce
Picea rubens is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and from New England south in the Adirondack Mountains and Appalachians to western North Carolina.-Physical description:...
, black spruce
Black Spruce
Picea mariana is a species of spruce native to northern North America, from Newfoundland west to Alaska, and south to northern New York, Minnesota and central British Columbia...
, white spruce
White Spruce
Picea glauca is a species of spruce native to boreal forests in the north of North America, from central Alaska east to Newfoundland, and south to northern Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine; there is also an isolated population in the...
, paper birch
Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera is a species of birch native to northern North America.-Description:...
, red maple
Red Maple
Acer rubrum , is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern North America. It ranges from the Lake of the Woods on the border between Ontario and Minnesota, east to Newfoundland, south to near Miami, Florida, and southwest to east Texas...
and silver maple
Silver Maple
The silver maple —also called creek maple, river maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, water maple, or white maple—is a species of maple native to eastern North America in the eastern United States and Canada...
(also known locally as 'white maple').
The sedimentary deposits in the Cobequid Mountains hold several coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
deposits in various basins, stretching across the northern slope of the mountains in Cumberland County (from Joggins
Joggins, Nova Scotia
Joggins is a Canadian rural community located in western Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. On July 7, 2008 a 15 km length of the coast constituting the Joggins Fossil Cliffs was officially inscribed on the World Heritage List.- History :...
through River Hebert
River Hebert, Nova Scotia
River Hebert is a village on the River Hebert in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada.It is approximately 25 kilometres southwest of Amherst...
to Springhill
Springhill, Nova Scotia
-Coal mining:The first industrial coal mining in the area took place in the 1870s after a rail connection was built by the Springhill and Parrsboro Coal and Railway Company to the newly completed Intercolonial Railway at neighbouring Springhill Junction....
) and on the southern edge at Debert
Debert, Nova Scotia
Debert is an unincorporated farming community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located approximately 20 km west of the town of Truro. The Village of Debert is home to two churches, Baptist and United, plus a Fellowship Center, as well as a gas station and two garages. There are...
. Igneous rocks yielded iron ore at Londonderry
Londonderry, Nova Scotia
Londonderry is an unincorporated community located in Colchester County, Nova Scotia, Canada, formerly called Acadia Mines. A bustling iron ore mining and steel making town of some 5,000 in the late 19th century, the present population stands at around 200.-History:Londonderry saw the pouring of...
.