Mineral Wonders: On Display in Sarnia

Much of the grandeur of the continent lies out of sight and usually out of mind beneath our feet.  For eastern North Americans, the local geology is often visible only in gravel pits or road cuts, and most people barely pay it any attention.  Rocks are rocks, after all, and just things that make up our foundation, no?

Yep, that would be an amethyst.  

Not exactly!

Seen above is a rather impressive giant amethyst cluster mined from the area around Thunder Bay, Ontario.  The Canadian Shield is among the most mineralized localities in the world, with the lake floor of Lake Superior supposedly holding untold riches in precious metals and gems of all sorts.  The Keweenaw peninsula which juts out into the lake from Michigan is one of the most mineralogically diverse places on the planet, to be sure.  The first born of North America knew it, and were mining for copper and other riches ever since the last ice sheets retreated northwards.

This cluster is on display at the welcome center for Ontario tourists just off the international bridge in Sarnia, Ontario.  In keeping with an appreciation for the geological beauty of Ontario, several large Canadian Shield masses of granite, basalt, gabbro, and gneiss veined with quartz, rhyolite, and other fun minerals, are situated in a lovely rock garden outside of the main entrance.

The outcrops of these wonderful rocks start popping up only two hours travel north of Toronto, or in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Adirondack mountains of New York for those travelers wanting a piece of the action but not willing to brave the Canadian frontier.  Here in Sarnia, as well as in other entrance points such as Niagara Falls, a little piece of our very ancient (a billion years plus) heritage is a little bit closer at hand.

American Voyages is back in action after a brief respite due to personal losses.