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NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



limestones are found along the western 

 coast and in a few places over the pla- 

 teau. The distribution of the soils 

 resulting from the disintegration of 

 these different rocks influences to a 

 considerable degree the flora and vege- 

 tation of the island. 



PHYSIOGRAPHY 



Outline 



The northwest coast of the island, 

 paralleling the fold known as the Long 

 Range, is fairly regular; the south coast 

 is much more broken by bays and fjords, 

 particularly toward the east end; and the 

 northeast coast is exceedingly broken 

 and irregular throughout its entire 

 extent, like the west coast of Norway, 

 or Greenland. These bays and fjords 

 occupy the valleys and lowlands of a 

 peninsular continuation of the eastern 

 Canadian coast prior to the post-glacial 

 submergence which left Newfoundland 

 an island. Numerous islets and islands 

 occupy the bays and gulfs. Avalon 

 Peninsula, almost detached from the 

 main island by Trinity Bay and Pla- 

 centia Bay, is connected only by a 

 narrow isthmus. 



Relief 



The relief, like the shore line, is an 

 expression of the geologic structure of 

 the terrain, the ridges and valleys 

 paralleling the direction of the folds, 

 N.N.E. to S.S.W. Seen from the sea, 

 the coast rises steep, 200 to 300 ft. or 

 even more, like a broad rocky wall, 

 bleak and apparently barren, to a 

 plateau dissected to form a rugged 

 hilly landscape. 



Back of this dissected coastal belt, 

 the plateau is extensive and undulating, 

 with parallel ranges of hills and moun- 

 tains, of which the Long Range along 

 the west coast, with heights of 2000 ft. 

 or more, is the most important. Avalon 

 peninsula is rather rugged and rough, 

 but the highest hills here are not over 

 1200 ft. in height. Throughout the 

 region of the interior rolling plateau, 



scattered sharp peaks called "tolts," 

 serve to identify the various localities 

 of the island. 



Drainage 



Consequent upon the disturbance of 

 the original drainage system by the 

 general glaciation of the area, New- 

 foundland is characterized by innu- 

 merable lakes, pools, ponds, and 

 marshes, of such extent that one-third 

 the island is thus occupied by small 

 bodies of water, lying along the flood 

 plains of the streams, in hollows along 

 the slopes of the vallej'S, in depressions 

 between the moraines and ridges, and 

 even in hollows in the tops of the hills. 



Three rivers of considerable size — 

 the Humber running west into the Bay 

 of Islands; and the Gander and Exploits 

 running northeast into the Hamilton 

 Sound and Notre Dame Bay respec- 

 tively — and a number of smaller streams 

 drain the island; but because of nu- 

 merous falls and rapids, and shallow 

 riffles they are unnavigable except for 

 canoes. Extensive bogs occupy much 

 of the valley areas and the plateau 

 slopes and levels. 



CLIMATE 



The climate of Newfoundland does 

 not merit designation as an oceanic 

 climate, but it is so modified by the 

 waters bathing its shores that it is 

 distinctly more equable and uniform 

 than that of the neighboring mainland. 

 The temperature rarely falls below 

 zero even in mid-winter, and rarely rises 

 above 80° in summer. The mean tem- 

 perature for the year, except in the 

 extreme northern portion where it is 

 lower, is from 40° to 45°. The average 

 precipitation, about evenly divided 

 between rain and snow, is less than 

 60 in. 



The average barometer is 29.37 in. 

 The storms are mildly cyclonic, with 

 winds varying with the seasons in 

 general direction and velocity. Winter 

 sets in late in November and continues 

 until mid-April. During this period 



