The Fonthill Kame is a geological feature in the

Niagara Peninsula The Niagara Peninsula is an area of land lying between the southwestern shore of Lake Ontario and the northeastern shore of Lake Erie, in Ontario, Canada. Technically an isthmus rather than a peninsula, it stretches from the Niagara River in the ...

in Pelham,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. A ''

kame A kame, or ''knob'', is a glacial landform, an irregularly shaped hill or mound composed of sand, gravel and till that accumulates in a depression on a retreating glacier, and is then deposited on the land surface with further melting of the g ...

'' is a

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...

in the form of a large, isolated hill. It is composed of

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...

and

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

deposited by the retreating

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

s of the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

. The Fonthill Kame rises about above the surrounding land (290 m above sea level) and is the highest elevation in the region. Some sources say that the kame is no longer the highest point owing to the removal of sand and gravel. Despite what some sources may say, the kame is simply the highest natural geographic feature in Niagara and the highest point would remain on the kame. There is some debate about the actual highest point though because locals seem to remember a plaque in a farmers field, south of Tice Road and East on Effingham Road, on un-excavated land that marked the highest point. The kame is east to west and north to south. It slopes gradually on the west side, more steeply on the south and east and merges with the

Short Hills Provincial Park Short Hills Provincial Park is a provincial park located in the centre of the Niagara Peninsula, bordering the city of St. Catharines and the town of Pelham in the Niagara Region in southern Ontario, Canada. It occupies an area of . It als ...

area of the

Niagara Escarpment The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States that runs predominantly east–west from New York through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, and into Illinois. The escarpment is most famous as the cliff over ...

on the north. The Fonthill Kame has considerable influence on the climate of Pelham by sheltering it from the winds from the southwest. This provides good growing conditions for fruit crops, including the

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...

s that supply the local wine industry. It is also mined for sand and gravel. Research on the kame centres on its

hydrogeological Hydrogeology (''hydro-'' meaning water, and ''-geology'' meaning the study of the Earth) is the area of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater in the soil and rocks of the Earth's crust (commonly in aquif ...

features, which are important to the Niagara Peninsula. The Government of Ontario Ministry of the Environment has committed $85,000 toward the study of groundwater flow, discharge, and baseflow measurements. The original town of Fonthill is perched on the moraine, although it has spread beyond the hill. Lookout Point on the north side of the kame commands a view of about one-quarter of the circle of the horizon. Taking advantage of the views, the Lookout Point Country Club, a private golf course, occupies much of the viewing area. For more about the golf club, see

Pelham, Ontario The Town of Pelham (2016 population 17,110) is located in the centre of Niagara Region in Ontario, Canada. The town's southern boundary is formed by the Welland River, a meandering waterway that flows into the Niagara River. To the west is the ...

References

*Bramble, Linda (2004). ''Touring Niagara Wine Country''. James Lorimer & Company. {{coord , 43.0523, N, 79.3095, W, display=title Landforms of the Regional Municipality of Niagara Kames Moraines of Ontario