224 A. W. G. WILSON — TRENT RIVER SYSTEM 



of the region a,re those characteristic of an area that has been exposed to 

 stream erosion and normal weathering processes for a considerable inter- 

 val of time, and subsequently have been slightly and locally modified by 

 the ice transgression, in very small part by actual erosion, in large part 

 by the deposition of loose debris. 



As was noted above, in Prince Edward county there are large areas 

 underlain by soft more or less decayed limestone rock with a very little 

 sand intermingled. In places the depth of this material exceeds 4 feet. 

 In very few places within the borders of the county are there areas with 

 well developed striated surfaces. These surfaces are, however, occasion- 

 all}'' found associated with the softer rock. In physical character and 

 in composition these rocks are identical, both being Trenton limestone. 



Inasmuch, then, as in certain areas it has happened that the rocks 

 retain their striations, whereas elsewhere in the same district over large 

 areas the rock in situ is very much decayed, the inference would be 

 that the disintegration was largely pre-Glacial. That it may be so and 

 that the soils which are still in situ have been left here by the ice-sheet 

 is certainly also suggested by the apparent inability of the ice-sheet to 

 significantly modify the rock topography by actual erosion anywhere on 

 the limestone areas immediately north of lake Ontario. 



In the vicinity of Kingston and southward in New York state it is 

 found that fresh striated rock surfaces are much more abundant and 

 cover larger areas than elsewhere. In these localities the old rock topog- 

 raphy is still retained, nor is it materially modified. The fresher char- 

 acter of the striated surfaces is due in part to the slightly different 

 character of the rock, and probably in large part to the proximity of the 

 Adirondacks,from which a local glacier descended into what is now the 

 basin of lake Ontario. 



From the evidence as adduced above, it is inferred that all the essen- 

 tial features of the rock topography are of pre-Glacial date, and that the 

 present valleys once formed part of what is now a dismembered river 

 system. 



Trent River System 

 in general 



All that part of the province of Ontario west of the Frontenac axis 

 and between the bay of Quinte and the Archean areas on the north is 

 drained by the Trent river or some of its tributaries. For purposes of 

 description the Trent River system maybe considered in two sections — 

 the Central Ontario section, comprising all the streams and lakes whose 

 waters enter the Trent river proper above the town of Trenton, and the 

 Bay of Quinte section, comprising that portion of the Trent river which 



