Toronto Rocks: The Geological Legacy of the Toronto Region

We use our knowledge of geology to build safer cities. (from Toronto Rocks)

With its dense streetscapes, the Toronto region seems an unlikely location for a geological field trip, yet as our cities expand and natural landscape becomes buried, the greater the importance of the geology beneath our feet to our everyday existence.

Where can we build safely?

Where do we dump our garbage?

Where are our ground waters and how can we protect them?

What happens to salt we put on icy roads when it permeates into the ground in the spring?

How strong are the rocks beneath the buildings we continue to push skyward?

What do we do with polluted soil?

How can we protect and preserve such national treasures as the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine?

Will the CN Tower fall?

What does the history of earthquakes tell us of possible future events?

In Toronto Rocks, University of Toronto geology professor Nick Eyles conducts a unique tour of Canada’s largest city past and present; a city of more than 6 million people where the past beneath our feet is perhaps more important than ever before.