Two Continents Meet
Reversing Falls Rapids is a geosite and included within the Stonehammer Geopark. The gorge which was created by powerful natural forces as the last ice age receded exposes the meeting of two ancient continents.
This geosite is a place where visitors can see where 1.2 billion-year-old marble, a light color rock from the South Pole region collided with 515 million-year-old dark igneous rock from Africa. Imagine 685 million years age difference!
The marble originated as sea creatures which metamorphosed into rock and the igneous rock is volcanic magma from the earth’s interior.
11,000 years ago melting glaciers from the most recent ice age ripped through the rock to form the gorge and expose the ancient rock. Much of the dark igneous rock bears a deeply weathered surface, the result of 11,000 years of exposure to sun, wind, rain, snow, and ice !