﻿Spencer 
  — 
  Origin 
  and 
  Age 
  of 
  the 
  Ontario 
  Shore-Line. 
  353 
  

  

  to 
  the 
  lake 
  stage, 
  corresponding 
  to 
  the 
  birth 
  of 
  the 
  St. 
  Law- 
  

   rence 
  River. 
  

  

  Upon 
  the 
  river 
  being 
  confined 
  within 
  its 
  banks, 
  as 
  here 
  de- 
  

   fined, 
  the 
  currents 
  removed 
  the 
  drift 
  from 
  the 
  St. 
  Lawrence 
  

   channel, 
  thus 
  lowering 
  the 
  Ontario 
  level 
  by 
  about 
  10 
  feet, 
  

   thereby 
  uncovering 
  the 
  underlying 
  flat 
  rock 
  floor 
  at 
  and 
  above 
  

   the 
  first 
  rapids, 
  which 
  form 
  the 
  rim 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  basin 
  (to 
  which 
  

   point 
  the 
  river 
  slopes 
  only 
  2 
  feet). 
  The 
  rock 
  spur 
  at 
  the 
  rapids 
  

   is 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  mile 
  across 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  partly 
  penetrated 
  so 
  as 
  

   to 
  lower 
  the 
  lake 
  by 
  nearly 
  5 
  feet 
  more. 
  

  

  This 
  rocky 
  barrier 
  has 
  caused 
  the 
  present 
  lake 
  level 
  to 
  con- 
  

   tinue 
  longer 
  than 
  that 
  which 
  obtained 
  during 
  the 
  Mill 
  Haven 
  

   stage, 
  when 
  only 
  drift 
  was 
  being 
  removed 
  by 
  the 
  river 
  currents. 
  

   The 
  higher 
  stage 
  of 
  the 
  Ontario 
  shore-line 
  (3-5 
  feet) 
  is 
  well 
  

   illustrated 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Quinte, 
  at 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   end 
  of 
  Burlington 
  Beach, 
  near 
  Hamilton, 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  

   Niagara 
  River, 
  and 
  in 
  lower 
  reaches 
  of 
  tributary 
  streams. 
  

  

  The 
  Ontario 
  Beach. 
  — 
  Passing 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  stage 
  of 
  the 
  

   beach, 
  its 
  variability 
  is 
  striking. 
  Encroachments 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  

   upon 
  the 
  shore 
  prevail 
  in 
  many 
  places. 
  East 
  of 
  Burlington 
  

   village, 
  the 
  waves 
  are 
  cutting 
  a 
  terrace 
  in 
  shaly 
  rock. 
  The 
  

   greatest 
  encroachments 
  are 
  those 
  upon 
  the 
  drift 
  of 
  Scarboro 
  

   Bluffs 
  (see 
  fig. 
  1) 
  east 
  of 
  Toronto, 
  and 
  farther 
  east 
  near 
  Port 
  

   Hope, 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  necessary 
  to 
  shift 
  the 
  original 
  railway 
  bed 
  

   farther 
  inland. 
  Again, 
  so 
  weak 
  is 
  the 
  wave 
  action 
  that 
  the 
  low 
  

   plains 
  slope 
  almost 
  imperceptibly 
  to 
  the 
  water 
  edge, 
  leaving 
  

   little 
  or 
  no 
  beach 
  form 
  to 
  mark 
  the 
  lowering 
  level, 
  as 
  at 
  Col- 
  

   borne 
  or 
  near 
  the 
  lake 
  outlet. 
  

  

  In 
  contrast 
  are 
  the 
  great 
  sand 
  deposits 
  and 
  bars 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  

   of 
  the 
  peninsula 
  of 
  Prince 
  Edward 
  County 
  formerly 
  accumu- 
  

   lated 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  Algonquin 
  River 
  and 
  its 
  successor 
  the 
  modern 
  

   Trent 
  River. 
  Only 
  a 
  few 
  tributary 
  streams, 
  as 
  those 
  at 
  Port 
  

   Darlington 
  and 
  Frenchman's 
  Bay, 
  are 
  obstructed 
  by 
  barrier 
  

   beaches 
  across 
  their 
  mouths. 
  However, 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  most 
  

   conspicuous 
  and 
  abnormal 
  features, 
  — 
  those 
  of 
  Burlington 
  

   Beach 
  and 
  Toronto 
  Island, 
  which 
  if 
  studied 
  alone 
  would 
  give 
  

   an 
  erroneous 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  Ontario 
  shore 
  and 
  its 
  history. 
  

  

  Burlington 
  Beach 
  is 
  a 
  barrier 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  gravel, 
  200-300 
  

   feet 
  wide, 
  2-3 
  feet 
  high 
  and 
  5 
  miles 
  long, 
  crossing 
  Lake 
  

   Ontario 
  5 
  miles 
  from 
  its 
  head. 
  This 
  beach 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  delta 
  and 
  

   contains 
  no 
  material 
  brought 
  down 
  by 
  the 
  streams 
  through 
  

   Dundas 
  Valley, 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  bay. 
  Its 
  sands 
  and 
  gravel 
  

   (of 
  Hudson 
  River 
  limestone) 
  are 
  immediately 
  derived 
  from 
  

   the 
  stony 
  drift 
  by 
  the 
  assorting 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  waves, 
  and 
  trans- 
  

   ported 
  by 
  the 
  currents 
  across 
  the 
  lake 
  from 
  its 
  northwestern 
  

   side. 
  At 
  both 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  barrier, 
  the 
  beach 
  material 
  is 
  thin, 
  

   resting 
  on 
  clayey 
  drift 
  or 
  on 
  shales. 
  

  

  