Niagara Escarpment

How this landform was created

The Niagara Escarpment is the most significant of several escarpments formed in the bedrock of Southern Ontario. It forms the spine of the Bruce Peninsula, Manitoulin, and other islands in Northern Lake Huron. It also extends into New York and Wisconsin. The escarpment was formed about 450 million years ago. The rock below and east of the escarpment is mostly made out of Ordovician limestone while the rock west and on is made of Silurian dolostone.


When the Michigan Seas finally left about 100 million years ago, the Escarpment was exposed and then eroded by ice, weather, and water. The escarpment has a hard layer of dolostone(a rock that contains dolomite) which is more resistant and overlies weaker. It easily eroded soft rocks. As time passes, the soft rocks weather and erode away by streams. As there is a removal of soft rocks, it wears down under the caprock, leaving it as a cliff.

formation process

Weathering and erosion carried away the weak layers of the cliff. Eventually the strong layers of the cliff will also be carried away by erosion. More weak layers would be removed until the stronger layer collapsed again. This process has been happening since the time of the dinosaurs.

formation process