﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  10,12 
  137 
  

  

  channel 
  as 
  the 
  gulf 
  lands 
  rose. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  conceived 
  that 
  this 
  

   channel 
  through 
  the 
  gulf 
  is 
  as 
  ancient 
  as 
  the 
  channel 
  between 
  the 
  

   shores 
  of 
  Gaspe 
  and 
  the 
  Quebec 
  Labrador. 
  The 
  lands 
  which 
  the 
  

   lower 
  channel 
  cuts 
  are 
  of 
  later 
  birth 
  than 
  those 
  at 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  in 
  

   its 
  earlier 
  stages 
  we 
  may 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  river 
  debouched 
  into 
  a 
  

   shallow 
  sea 
  much 
  as 
  it 
  does 
  today 
  into 
  the 
  gulf. 
  The 
  student 
  of 
  the 
  

   chart 
  will 
  observe 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  branch 
  channel 
  leading 
  off 
  in 
  the 
  

   direction 
  of 
  the 
  Strait 
  of 
  Belle 
  Isle 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  shallower 
  trough 
  than 
  

   that 
  to 
  the 
  southeast. 
  The 
  line 
  of 
  deepest 
  water 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  southeast 
  

   channel 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  difference 
  in 
  maximums 
  of 
  depth 
  between 
  

   the 
  two 
  of 
  155 
  fathoms, 
  the 
  greatest 
  depth 
  in 
  the 
  northwest 
  trough 
  

   being 
  145 
  fathoms 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  southwest 
  300 
  fathoms. 
  

  

  The 
  southeast 
  channel 
  drops 
  quite 
  steeply 
  1700 
  feet 
  below 
  the 
  

   broad 
  100 
  fathom 
  plateau 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  twice 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  north- 
  

   east 
  course. 
  

  

  It 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  the 
  northeast 
  course 
  was 
  a 
  river 
  valley 
  of 
  

   earlier 
  date 
  than 
  the 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  southeast 
  channel, 
  that 
  the 
  

   river 
  abandoned 
  it 
  for 
  sufficient 
  cause, 
  possibly 
  change 
  in 
  submarine 
  

   level 
  or 
  blockage 
  by 
  a 
  heavy 
  ice 
  sheet, 
  and 
  then 
  continued 
  to 
  erode 
  

   its 
  present 
  buried 
  channel 
  to 
  still 
  greater 
  depths. 
  

  

  The 
  courses 
  of 
  existing 
  submarine 
  currents 
  over 
  this 
  region 
  are 
  

   not 
  yet 
  sufficiently 
  determined 
  to 
  permit 
  us 
  to 
  speak 
  definitely 
  re- 
  

   garding 
  the 
  outpush 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  through 
  the 
  southeast 
  channel 
  

   and 
  yet 
  it 
  is 
  practically 
  certain 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  predominant 
  trend 
  of 
  

   the 
  major 
  deep 
  water 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  gulf. 
  

  

  The 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St 
  Lawrence 
  thus 
  owes 
  its 
  existence 
  chiefly 
  to 
  two 
  

   determinant 
  factors 
  of 
  very 
  ancient 
  date 
  : 
  the 
  breakdown 
  of 
  the 
  

   rocks 
  which 
  produced 
  " 
  Logan's 
  fault 
  " 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  curvature 
  of 
  the 
  

   northern 
  orogenic 
  axis 
  which 
  effected 
  a 
  syntaxis 
  or 
  a 
  protrusion 
  of 
  

   the 
  northern 
  against 
  the 
  southern 
  Appalachian 
  folds. 
  The 
  broken 
  

   down 
  basin 
  between 
  is 
  a 
  natural 
  and 
  resultant 
  area 
  of 
  rock 
  weakness 
  

   which 
  has 
  had 
  its 
  short 
  periods 
  of 
  low 
  elevation 
  above 
  the 
  sea, 
  but 
  

   longer 
  periods 
  of 
  depression. 
  

  

  