Name:Student Number:
Geol 1202 Planet Earth
[use the interactive maps on Brightspace for the following exercises but you will annotate the
provide map image]
Find the Cornwallis River on the provided map figure.
Question 1:
What direction does the water in the Cornwallis River flow? (use quadrants e.g. north, south,
northwest, etc.).
DRAW arrows on or near the river on your map figure indicating the direction the water is
flowing.
Question 2:
The Cornwallis River empties into the Minas Basin. Locate the mouth of the river.
LABEL the edge of the Minas Basin on your map figure.
[Open the Wolfville Geological Map and locate the Cornwallis River on it. You will need to refer
to the map legend for the next questions.]
Question 3:
What is the name of the formation that the underlies the river for most of its distance on the
map?
Question 4:
What type of rocks are they (eg. igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary)?
Question 5:
Locate the Gaspereau River (you should be able to use either the topo map or the geologic
map).
What direction does the water in the Gaspereau River flow? (use quadrants e.g. north, south,
northwest, etc.)
Name:
Student Number:
DRAW arrows on or near the river on your map figure indicating the direction the water is
flowing.
Question 6:
The Gaspereau River also empties into the Minas Basin.
INDICATE the mouth the river on your map figure.
Question 7:
What are the names of the formations that the underlie the river for most of its distance on the
map (there should be four of them)?
Question 8:
What type of rocks are each of them (eg. igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary)?
[Next locate the Black River in the southwest corner of the map, just north of Lumsden Pond.
Notice that the valley is quite deep; there are several contour lines, close together, on each side
of the river.]
Question 9:
What direction does the water in the Black River flow? (use quadrants e.g. north, south,
northwest, etc.).
DRAW arrows on or near the river on your map figure indicating the direction the water is
flowing.
[Next find White Rock Mills; where the Black River joins the Gaspereau River.]
Now look at the area immediately north of White Rock Mills; there is a large valley called Deep
Hollow. Looking at the contours you can see that it is about as deep as the Black River Valley,
so one might expect a large river to flow along Deep Hollow, but there is none. Instead, there is
the very small Hancock Brook.
Name:
Student Number:
Question 10:
What direction does the water in the Hancock Brook flow? (use quadrants e.g. north, south,
northwest, etc.)
DRAW arrows on or near the brook on your map figure indicating the direction the water is
flowing.
Question 11:
Where does Hancock Brook empty its water (where is the mouth of the Brook)?
INDICATE the mouth on your map figure.
Your observations of these rivers and their tributaries should suggest to you that in the past,
perhaps a few thousand years ago, the Black River followed a different path then it does now.
Question 12:
What path do you think it used to take? (describe it and include a very simple sketch of the
rivers involved and the direction the water was flowing).
[insert sketch here]
Question 13:
What process might have diverted the waters of the Black River?
[insert annotated Map here]
[insert image of your SMU student ID here]
Geol 1202 Planet Earth
Assignment – river evolution
In Lecture Ten we looked at how running water in rivers and streams can transport sediment, and how the
processes of erosion and deposition play a role in shaping almost every landscape on Earth. In this
assignment we will look at one river system in particular. You will be called upon to use your skills in
reading maps and contours that you gained from Module Two; if you have forgotten some of the rules for
contours then take a quick look at the module again.
We will be looking at the area around Wolfville and New Minas, Nova Scotia, as shown in this image from
Google Earth. On it you can see several rivers, a number of tributaries, several lakes, and to the
Northeast the edge of the Minas Basin.
If you have access to Google Earth or even Google Maps you
should try looking at this region to get a better feel for the area.
I have indicated with a red box where in Nova Scotia this region is
located on the Nova Scotia Geology Map at the left.
The Google image is just to show you the region; since it does not contain the information you will need
for the assignment.
You will actually be using two types of maps, a topographic and a geological, which you should be familiar
with from Module Two. (These available in the Media Library in the Table of Contents). These online
versions allow you to zoom in on specific areas so you will be able to see the details.
You should make sure you can view these maps on your computer as you will be required to switch
between them to complete the assignment.
What do I submit?
Answer all questions on the provided question file. I have provided the critical part of the topo map for
you as a seperate image file that you can annotate in a program such as Paint. Insert the completed
figure in the word file on the appropriate page.
Make sure you include an image of your SMU student ID on the last page.
Check your assignment file before you submit it – if I cannot read it I will have to give you a zero.]
Name:
Student Number:
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