21 



period. The southeastward direction which the river 

 in general maintains agrees with the southeastward slant 

 of the upland itself, as extended from the 1,700-foot 

 (515 m.) surface of the Central highland across the lowland 

 interval, along the skyline of the 1,000-foot (300-m.) 

 Southern upland, and further, over the Bay of Fundy 

 and along the skyline of the 500-foot (150 m.) upland of 

 Nova Scotia. Other rivers which drain the Central 

 highland, as, for example, the Miramichi, heading in 

 streams which trend parallel to the St. John, turn abruptly 

 towards the northeast where they enter the area of 

 Carboniferous rocks and run out to the gulf down the 

 slope of the lowland. This is probably due to wholesale 

 piracy in the Carboniferous area after the uplift of the 

 Cretaceous peneplain. During the development of the 

 lower Tertiary plain on this transverse belt of soft rocks, 

 the southeastward flowing streams suffered from inroads 

 of the rapidly growing headwaters of the lowland rivers; 

 and the St. John alone remained intact. The broad, 

 deep estuary of the Petitcodiac at the head of Shepody 

 bay occupies perhaps the mouth of one of these master 

 rivers of Cretaceous and of early Tertiary time, whose 

 headwaters now drain out through the Miramichi. 



The drowning of the mouths of these large rivers records 

 a downward movement of the coast which affected the 

 whole northern part of the continent. The fiord coast 

 of Maine is a continuation of the ragged coast of the 

 Southern upland. The exact date of the submergence 

 is not known. There is no lack of evidence, however, 

 to show that by the close of the Glacial period the coast 

 had sunk to a level approximately 200 feet (60m.) below 

 its present position. 



Upland of Nova Scotia. — The greater part of the penin- 

 sula of Nova Scotia is underlain by a complex of ancient 

 rocks. Most of the area exhibits the outcropping edges 

 of a very thick series of slates, associated with a likewise ex- 

 tensive older group of quartzites. During the early 

 Palaeozoic these were folded and crumpled into structures 

 so complex that very high mountains must have resulted. 

 At the same time the base of the range was punctured and 

 displaced by enormous masses of granite. Since this moun- 

 tain building, the surface has been worn down to a plain of 

 low relief. In place of peaks of Alpine form and height 

 there are to-day subdued hills and ridges which range from 



