Probable Change in Drainage of the Black and Gaspereau 

 Rivers, Kings Co., N. S. — By F. C. Churchill, Wolfville, 



N. S. 



(Read 14 Feb.. 1921) 



Although I fully realize the difficulty, also the rashness, on my 

 part in attempting a question of this nature, nevertheless 1 feel 

 that a beginning should be made to decipher many of these 

 problems in our local geology; and unless one begins I am afraid 

 very little will ever be accomplished. 



I have spent much time in examining the region in Kings Co. 

 drained by these rivers, and also have speculated much concern- 

 ing their probable history; but I wish the reader to understand 

 that very much of this is speculation on my part, and it will have 

 to be in the future that one may know the full history of these 

 changes. 



The Deep Hollow is intimately connected with the history 

 of these rivers and demands a description. It lies to the north 

 of the Black and Gaspereau Rivers, and is nearly opposite where 

 the Black River joins the Gaspereau, lying nearly I 50 feet above. 



This whole region slopes in a northerly direction and may 

 be considered part of the South Mountain; the Deep Hollow and 

 Black River running nearly at right angles to the Gaspereau and 

 flowing northward. The small brook now occupying the Hollow 

 is fed by springs, and is entirely too small to have cut a gorge of 

 this size; and the question is, From whence came the sources of 

 this river? 



The road that runs through the valley from Whiterock, 

 north to New Minas, follows the ancient channel of the river; 

 and as one passes over it, he is impressed that it once must have 

 been a river, as it winds to and fro like a river over its flood- 

 plain. The valley shows many signs of being stream-cut, 

 having overlapping rock spurs, the height of which reaches 75 

 feet or more cut into the hard slate and quartzite. 



I am indebted to Mr. E. R. Faribault of Ottawa for an excellent 

 map of this region, which has enabled me to understand its 

 complicated geological structure. The slates and quartzites 

 underlying this section are folded into a series of parallel anti- 

 clines and synclines having their axes in a north-east and south- 

 west direction, and are disturbed by numerous faults. 



(141) 



