Bedrock Base Map Location 8
The Kingston Granite formed from magma generated by the sinking of oceanic crust – a plate tectonic process called subduction. This thick and slow-moving magma generated a series of explosive volcanoes along what is today eastern North America. By 600 million years ago these volcanoes had long been extinct, leaving behind this granite as the bedrock beneath the eastern edge of the North American continent. Today these stones are highly sought after as building materials due to their striking pinkish-red color, which comes from a high percentage of the mineral feldspar in the rocks.
Kingston, Ontario | Mesoproterozoic | 1.3 billion years old