Discover Ontario's history as told through its plaques
2004 - Now in our 12th Year - 2016
To see what's new on this site, you can visit the Home Page
Looking at this page on a smartphone?
For best viewing, hold your phone
in Landscape mode (Horizontal)
Palisades of the Pijitawabik
Photo by contributor Robert Griffin - Posted November, 2005
Photo from Google Street View ©2011 Google - Posted March, 2011
Photo by Alan L Brown - Posted November, 2005
Plaque Location
The District of Thunder Bay
The Municipality of Greenstone
At the scenic lookout on the east side of Highway 11
12 km south of Orient Bay
41 km north of Nipigon
Coordinates: N 49 20.039 W 88 07.447 |
Plaque Text
Here at Pijitawabik Bay and other Lake Nipigon localities ancient rocks of the Precambrian Shield were overlain by a diabase sheet formed approximately 1,200 million years ago. Erosion by water and ice removed the covering rocks and sculptured the sheet into rounded, flat-topped hills bounded by escarpments which rise in some places 152 metres above Lake Nipigon. The hills are separated by deep, narrow valleys. The towering pillars of the cliffs are the result of columnar jointing, a cooling phenomenon developed during the solidification of the magma. Frost action along the cracks in and around the columns causes splintering of the rock and occasionally the collapse of entire pillars, leaving the imposing palisades seen here.
Related Ontario plaque
Precambrian Shield
More
Landforms
Here are the visitors' comments for this page.
> Posted August 9, 2009
What does the word Pijitawabik mean? I imagine it's a Native word indicating the type of rock formation?
Here's where you can sent me a comment for this page.
Note: Your email address will be posted at the end of your comment so others can respond to you unless you request otherwise.
Note: Comments are moderated. Yours will appear on this page within 24 hours (usually much sooner).
Note: As soon as I have posted your comment, a reply to your email will be sent informing you.
To send me your comment, click .
Thanks
Alan L Brown
Webmaster
Note: If you wish to send me a personal email, click .