The Cobequid Mountains,
[Geographical Names Board of Canada - Cobequid Mountains](_blank)
/ref> also sometimes referred to as the Cobequid Hills, is a Canadian mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
located in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
in the mainland portion of the province.
Geologic history
Geologically, the Cobequid Mountains are considered part of the Appalachians
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
. The range stretches from Cape Chignecto Cape Chignecto is a headland located on the Bay of Fundy coast of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
Cape Chignecto is located at the westernmost tip of Cumberland County and is the western limit of the Cobequid Hills, a low mountain range that ...
in Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to:
Australia
* Cumberland County, New South Wales
* the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia
Canada
*Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
United Kingdom
*Cumberland, historic county
*Cumberlan ...
in the west through to Pictou County
Pictou County is a county in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was established in 1835, and was formerly a part of Halifax County from 1759 to 1835. It had a population of 43,657 people in 2021, a decline of 0.2 percent from 2016. Furthermo ...
in the east.
The Cobequid Mountains trace their geologic history to the Precambrian
The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...
and Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...
ages; consequently the mountains are composed of a combination of sediments, granites, and volcanic rock all of which has been crushed and folded by continental drift
Continental drift is the hypothesis that the Earth's continents have moved over geologic time relative to each other, thus appearing to have "drifted" across the ocean bed. The idea of continental drift has been subsumed into the science of pla ...
when this part of Nova Scotia was located at the centre of the Pangea
Pangaea or Pangea () was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. It assembled from the earlier continental units of Gondwana, Euramerica and Siberia during the Carboniferous approximately 335 million y ...
supercontinent. Subsequent erosion over millions of years has resulted in the present-day low range of mountains and rolling hills.
The part of northern Nova Scotia which contains the Cobequid Mountains is believed to have been linked with what is now northern Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. Its collision with a section from present-day northern Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
has resulted in the current landscape in the province; a remnant fault line from this event, the Cobequid-Chedabucto Fault, extends along the southern portion of the Cobequid Mountains, immediately north of the Minas Basin
, image = Lookout On Way to Cape Split - 25006718579.jpg
, alt =
, caption = Looking east across the Southern Bight of Minas Basin from The Lookoff
, image_bathymetry =
, alt_bathymetry =
, ca ...
and Cobequid Bay
Cobequid Bay is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy and the easternmost part of the Minas Basin, located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The bay was carved by rivers flowing into the eastern end of the Bay of Fundy.
The eastern end of the b ...
east to Canso
The Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) is a representative body of companies that provide air traffic control. It represents the interests of Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs). CANSO members are responsible for supporting ov ...
.
Some mistakenly consider the Cobequid Mountains to extend into Antigonish County
, nickname =
, settlement_type = List of counties of Nova Scotia, County
, motto =
, image_skyline = Antigonish Harbour Panorama2.jpg
, image_caption =
, image_flag ...
further east, however this smaller range is geologically distinct and is named the Pictou-Antigonish Highlandsbr>
Highest elevations
The highest point of the Cobequid Mountains is an unnamed peak on the eastern side of the Wentworth Valley
The Wentworth Valley is a valley in the Cobequid Mountains of northwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It comprises the lowest elevation pass through the Cobequids. It was named after the colonial governor John Wentworth (1792-1808).
Physical geograp ...
(). Other high peaks include Higgins Mountain __NOTOC__
Higgins may refer to:
People
* Higgins (surname), including list of people with the surname (see also Ó hUiginn)
Places
* Higgins, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb in the Canberra district of Belconnen
* Higgins, North Caroli ...
(), Nuttby Mountain
Nuttby Mountain is a Canadian peak in the Cobequid Mountains and at 360.6 metres is one of the highest elevation points on the mainland portion of Nova Scotia. Its longstanding claim to be the highest peak was disproven in 2017 when it was disco ...
(), Dalhousie Mountain __NOTOC__
Dalhousie Mountain is a Canadian peak in the Cobequid Mountains and the highest elevation point in Pictou County, Nova Scotia.
Located north of Trunk 4 west of Salt Springs, the peak is accessible by vehicle using gated roads and is t ...
(), and Mt. Thom ().
Freshwater resources
The range contains an abundance of freshwater lakes and some springs which form headwaters that flow via a number of small rivers and streams south into the Minas Basin
, image = Lookout On Way to Cape Split - 25006718579.jpg
, alt =
, caption = Looking east across the Southern Bight of Minas Basin from The Lookoff
, image_bathymetry =
, alt_bathymetry =
, ca ...
and north into Northumberland Strait
The Northumberland Strait (French: ''détroit de Northumberland'') is a strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern Canada. The strait is formed by Prince Edward Island and the gulf's eastern, southern, and western sho ...
. Several escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations.
The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''escar ...
s associated with the Fundy Basin
The Fundy Basin is a sediment-filled rift basin on the Atlantic coast of southeastern Canada. It contains three sub-basins; the Fundy sub-basin, the Minas Basin and the Chignecto Basin. These arms meet at the Bay of Fundy, which is contained wi ...
have been formed from fault lines, resulting in a number of waterfalls on the southern mountain slopes.
Forests and mineral resources
Forests covering the Cobequid Mountains are mainly of hardwood species sugar maple
''Acer saccharum'', the sugar maple, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and eastern United States. Sugar maple is best known for being the prima ...
(also known locally as 'rock maple') and yellow birch
''Betula alleghaniensis'', the yellow birch, golden birch, or swamp birch, is a large tree and an important lumber species of birch native to northeastern North America. Its vernacular names refer to the golden color of the tree's bark. In the pa ...
on mountain slopes, which present spectacular displays in autumn with the changing of the colours
Change or Changing may refer to:
Alteration
* Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time
* Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of the menstrual period
* Metamorphosis, or change, ...
. Steep stream and river valleys are dominated by red spruce
''Picea rubens'', commonly known as red spruce, is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec and Nova Scotia, west to the Adirondack Mountains and south through New England along the Appalachians to western ...
stands. The lower slopes consist of balsam fir
''Abies balsamea'' or balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada (Newfoundland west to central Alberta) and the northeastern United States (Minnesota east to Maine, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to ...
, red spruce
''Picea rubens'', commonly known as red spruce, is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec and Nova Scotia, west to the Adirondack Mountains and south through New England along the Appalachians to western ...
, black spruce
''Picea mariana'', the black spruce, is a North American species of spruce tree in the pine family. It is widespread across Canada, found in all 10 provinces and all 3 territories. It is the official tree of the province of Newfoundland and Labra ...
, white spruce White spruce is a common name for several species of spruce (''Picea'') and may refer to:
* ''Picea glauca'', native to most of Canada and Alaska with limited populations in the northeastern United States
* ''Picea engelmannii'', native to the Ro ...
, paper birch
''Betula papyrifera'' (paper birch, also known as (American) white birch and canoe birch) is a short-lived species of birch native to northern North America. Paper birch is named for the tree's thin white bark, which often peels in paper like ...
, red maple
''Acer rubrum'', the red maple, also known as swamp maple, water maple, or soft maple, is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant nativ ...
and silver maple
''Acer saccharinum'', commonly known as silver maple, creek maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, large maple, water maple, swamp maple, or white maple, is a species of maple native to the eastern and central United States and southeastern Canad ...
(also known locally as 'white maple').
The sedimentary deposits in the Cobequid Mountains hold several coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when dea ...
deposits in various basins, stretching across the northern slope of the mountains in Cumberland County (from Joggins
Joggins is a rural community located in western Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada. On July 7, 2008 a 15-km length of the coast constituting the Joggins Fossil Cliffs was officially inscribed on the World Heritage List.p39
Other organisms fo ...
through River Hebert
The River Hebert is a small tidal river that empties into the Cumberland Basin, and is contained completely within Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. According to estimates by the Province of Nova Scotia, there were 9,092 people resident within th ...
to Springhill) and on the southern edge at Debert
Debert () (2006 pop: 1,471) is an unincorporated farming community in Nova Scotia, Canada. Located in the central-western part of Colchester County, it is approximately west of Truro.
The community has two churches ( United Baptist Church and ...
. Igneous rocks yielded iron ore at Londonderry.[Ronnie Van Dommelen]
Londonderry iron mining district
The Mineralogy of Nova Scotia
References
External links
Waterfalls of the Cobequid Mountains
{{Coord, 45, 31, N, 64, 05, W, region:CA_type:mountain, display=title
Mountains of Nova Scotia
Mountain ranges of Nova Scotia
Landforms of Colchester County
Landforms of Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
Landforms of Pictou County
Mountains of Canada under 1000 metres