Geology and Landforms
Waterton-Glacier has some of the oldest and best preserved sedimentary rocks in North America. Overtime, these sedimentary rocks became metamorphic rocks because of the heat and pressure. About 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago, the sediments created layers of quartzite, siltite, argillite, limestone, and dolomite. These old rocks still contain sedimentary characteristics. These unique rock formations can accurately be called metasedimentary rocks. The mixed rock formations that occur in Waterton-Glacier are a part of the Precambrian Belt Supergroup and are clearly visible in 33% of the park.
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There are many unique and interesting landform creations at Glacier National Park. For example, there are Stromatolites. These are algae fossils that were formed when the Belt Sea covered the entire park. These stromatolites have shapes and internal structures that are somewhat similar to blue-green algae that live in present-day seas. About 2 million years ago there was the Glaciation Ice Age. Until about 10,000 years ago, the Pleistocene Age saw huge ice sheets repeatedly advance and retreat. These glaciers that advanced and retreated formed the valleys and lakes of the park. About 60-70 million years ago the Lewis Thrust Fault formed from the collision of crustal plates on the western edge of North America which resulted in mountain building processes. The Lewis Overthrust Fault is a dominant piece of evidence that tectonic plates created the mountain scenes in Glacier National Park.
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