Welcome to  Heart of Avalonia
This website is about the geology and geologic history of southeastern Newfoundland, Canada.

These pages present  geologic field observations from the Heart of Avalonia geographic region.  The observations incorporate 10 years of completed exploration along with a project that is still ongoing.  The field observations have been recorded, developed and analyzed expressly for this website.  The pages also include background material on relevant aspects of basic geology and some more specific information on the presently understood geologic history of Heart of Avalonia.  The background material has been interpreted and summarized from publicly available online academic, commercial and governmental sources.   This background material provides context for the field observations.  The field observations consist of pictures of rocks and landscape features, minerological, petrological and geological data, along with discussions regarding what these observations imply in terms of the geology and geologic history of the region.
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Artist's concept of road sign on Trans Canada Highway such as might welcome geologically inclined travelers to  Heart of Avalonia

Notes
The Heart of Avalonia project (field work started 2005, website launch 2015) is planned to continue for 10 more years, with new content (primarily field observations) being added regularly over the interval 2015-2024.  Field observations that are listed below, but not linked, are in the process of being added to the site.   Please enjoy your visit to Heart of Avalonia.
​Mechanical properties of crystalline materials (physics), rather than geology or earth sciences, is the knowledge foundation on which this website is built.  The Heart of Avalonia project is very much an ongoing learning experience.  As a result, there will be instances where the geological interpretations and conclusions presented here can be constructively challenged.  Helpful comments are always appreciated. 
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Contents
1) Background information:

Avalonia

Heart of Avalonia

Radiometric Dating, Paleomagnetism and Geochronology

Phyllosilicates

Stress, Strain and Rock Cleavage

Some Dates in Avalonian History

Major Rock Units


2) Index Map

Index Map (use for codes in lower left of pictures)


3) Field Observations:

Planes of Weakness

Frost Heaved Bedrock

Volcanic Episodes

Edge of Avalonia

Ediacaran Pompeii

Orthoquartzite

High Susceptibility