56 

 ANNOTATED GUIDE. 



Lake Erie — Alt.: 571 -57 ft.; 174-2 m. Lake Erie is 

 239 miles (384-6 km.) long and 59 miles (95 km.) wide; it 

 covers an area of 10,000 square miles (25920 sq. km.) ; the 

 mean elevation is 571-57 feet (174-2 m.) and the maxi- 

 mum depth 210 feet (64 m.) Lake Erie is the youngest of 

 the great lakes, and owes its existence entirely to glacial 

 and post-glacial agencies. 



The north shore of Lake Erie is low and sandy with 

 numerous bars and spits. Dunes form in many places, 

 and shifting sands cause much trouble in the harbours 

 and even to a considerable distance inland. There are 

 few rock exposures on the water line, but near Port Col- 

 borne and at the western end of the lake, the Onondaga 

 limestones are encountered a short distance inland. 



Rondeau — At Rondeau the drifting sands have been 

 piled up in long ridges parallel to the shore 

 and now present a characteristic undulating contour. 

 Behind the series of bars lies Rondeau harbour, and west of 

 that an extensive peat bog which extends for several miles 

 w th a width of from a quarter to a half mile. In depth, 

 the peat varies from almost nothing to 30 feet (9- 1 m.) in 

 accord with the ridge-like bottom. Rondeau point, as well 

 as most of the points along the north shore, owes its exist- 

 ence to a current which sets eastward along the coast. 



Rondeau Provincial park occupies the peninsula of 

 Point aux Pins and contains 1,950 acres (589 hectares) 

 of wooded land which is probably the best example of 

 the original forest to be found in the Western Peninsula. 

 The ridge-like arrangement of the sand is well shown 

 and is more pronounced on the lake side than on the 

 harbour side. The tops of the ridges are about 12 feet 

 (3-6 m.) above the water, while the depressions are about 

 three feet (-9m) above that level. Towards the west, the 

 elevation is so much less that the depressions gradually 

 become marshes and finally disappear beneath the lake. 

 The soil is all fine, white, water- washed sand, and would 

 support little vegetation if any except for the excellent 

 sub-irrigation. Three distinct types of forest growth are 

 presented as below: — 



1. White pine belt along the lake front. 



