Cheltenham Badlands
 
 

Contributed by Cam Tsujita

 

For most Ontarians, the term "badlands", conjures images of parched, desolate areas in Alberta such as those along the Red Deer River valley where many of Canada's dinosaur remains are found. Few people are aware that badland topography can be seen right here in Ontario near Cheltenham. Unlike the Alberta badlands, these badlands were not formed by entirely natural means -- the gullied topography is the result of vegetation removal that took place when the land was cleared for farming. The exposed strata are of the Queenston Formation. This formation is of Late Ordovician age (nearly 450 million years old), so don't expect to find any dinosaurs here !