The Great Geological Division

The St-Lawrence is one of the longest rivers in the world. From Quebec City to the Atlantic, its shores are 2 km to 60 km away, and are made of two major geological regions: the Canadian Shield on the North Shore, and the Appalachian Uplands on the South Shore. The Canadian Shield is the result of glaciation and contains several minerals. On the St-Lawrence, its shore is made of rocks that are typically rounded and flat-topped. Many are ferrous. On the other hand, the Appalachian Uplands were uplifted and folded by tectonic crustal plate collisions. Their St-Lawrence shores are made of spectacular, often inclined, sedimentary rocks. Consequently, the North and South shores of the St-Lawrence are quite different. The goal of this project is to illustrate artistically these geological differences. To do so, I drove over 4000 km, mostly in inhabited areas. I chose intimate photographs, focusing on the beauty of shapes and colors while remaining representative of each region’s geology. I was impressed by their abstract-like character and nice geometry. To emphasize the differences, I alternate between North Shore and South Shores photographs.