Niagara Escarpment

This is a geological formation that wraps north through Door County and all the way around the northern shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, ending up east of Buffalo, New York. Near the eastern end, this escarpment forms Niagara Falls. The Niagara Escarpment was not formed by earthquakes or volcanic activity, but rather by erosion. The hard dolomite caprock, which was originally deposited when the area was a prehistoric sea, is left after the softer bedrock was washed away around and beneath it. The height and form of the escarpment varies along its length, and in some places it remains buried by glacial deposits. In 1990, the United Nations designated the Niagara Escarpment a World Biosphere Reserve.

Also visit the Niagara Escarpment Photo Gallery