undifferentiated rock units

Paleontology and geology

During the Precambrian, the northeasternmost tip of Cape Breton Island was at the edge of the Laurentian continent. Its metamorphosed igneous and sedimentary rocks are part of the Canadian Shield. The same rocks can also be found in Quebec, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Aside from that small area, the rest of Nova Scotia can be divided into two distinct geological regions (northern and southern) separated by a large fault. Precambrian rocks are found only in the north. The oldest are the 1.4 billion year old metamorphic rocks at the northeastern tip of the province. Most of the rocks began as island arcs off the coast of Gondwana. These islands later collided with that continent, which resulted in substantial volcanism and mountain-building. Sandstones, shales, and limestones in between these igneous rocks record the shallow seas that existed along the coast. Most of these rocks have since been metamorphosed from the collisions that brought them to their present position.