Gros Morne National Park, Canada

Abstract

Gros Morne National Park, on the west coast of Newfoundland Island, Eastern Canada, illustrates the process of plate tectonics and continental drift. In the area, deep ocean crust and rocks of the Earth’s mantle are exposed, contributing to the understanding of the geological evolution of ancient mountain belts. Shaped by crusher glaciers, the landscape is an outstanding wilderness environment of spectacular freshwater fjords and glacier-scoured headlands in an ocean setting with coastal features such as beaches, dunes, bogs, forests, barren cliffs, alpine plateau, waterfalls, and pristine lakes. The evolution of the North Atlantic basin and glacial activities can be determined from the ancient landscape. There is also an unusually complete paleontological sequence which has been proposed as the world stratotype for the Cambrian-Ordovician boundary.