Roaming the Proterozoic
Roaming the Proterozoic came about after I finished the Howley project. I found myself addicted to geological research and became interested in the Precambrian rocks of the geological province of Avalonia in eastern Newfoundland.
I am collaborating on this project with geologist and photographer Nicolas Lachance and producing large scale paintings, while Nic will be photographing the unique structures of the Precambrian rocks we will be searching for. We will both write about the discoveries in our own voices.
Research
There are several types of rocks in Avalonia. I read geology reports to find out details of the rock types and location of the type sections. A type section is a designated locality where there is an original sequence of strata for a particular stratigraphic unit. In doing this I am finding the precise appearance of the structure that I will paint.
Researching the geological reports involves accessing the Geofiles database at the Newfoundland and Labrador Geological Survey, and the collections of the Centre for Newfoundland Studies, the Map Room and the Archives and Special Collections Division of the Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University. This research leads me to the structures and gives me further knowledge of rock types and the geological history of the area. I am also using several geology maps such as Geology of the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland by Dr. Arthur King, GSC 1030A - Geology of the Bonavista Peninsula; Map 2006-02 - Geology of the Cape St. Mary’s Peninsula and various other publications that cover the Avalonia area.
Geology of the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland Dr. A. King, 1988
I am following the geological time scale from oldest to youngest rock formations, in a way I am mapping out the journey and for me that gives it more purpose and structure.
The oldest rocks are from the Burin Group, over 700 million years old, I will be roaming to those in the summer of 2022. The Harbour Main Group of rocks, located on Avalon peninsula are made up of various types of volcanic rock over 600 million years old. From this group I have roamed to Cripple Cove to study the rolling cliffs of pillow basalts.
Pillow Basalts, Cripple Cove, Cape St. Francis, NL
A field trip to Cripple Cove is part of the 2nd year Earth Science curriculum.
I found pyroclastic rocks in Burkes Cove, Colliers by researching the M.Sc. thesis of Graham Nixon from 1974, Late Precambrian (Hadrynian) ash-flow tuffs and associated rocks of the Harbour Main Group near Colliers, Avalon Peninsula, S. E. Newfoundland.
Pyroclastic rock, Burkes Cove, Colliers, NL
I have followed in the footsteps of Arthur Buddington, a geology student from Princeton University who, along with fellow students, came to Newfoundland in the early 20th century to study the rocks on the Avalon Peninsula. I am particularly interested in their surveys of the Holyrood Intrusive Suite at Duffs, a former railway stop between Seal Cove and Holyrood on the eastern shore of Holyrood Bay. The Archives and Special Collections Division of the Queen Elizabeth II Library at Memorial University holds the field journals, diaries, maps and several hundred photographs from those field trips, an excerpt from Buddington’s field book is in the image below.
Description of a granitic intrusion, A.F. Buddington, 1914. Acc 18-040, Princeton Geologists in Newfoundland, Archives and Special Collections, Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University
I started the first painting, the pillow basalts from Cripple Cove early in 2021. During 2020 I moved further up the scale and followed in the footsteps of Hank Williams and Arthur King to find rocks from the Gaskiers formation and Drook formation in the Conception Group.
At the type section of the Gaskiers Formation, Gaskiers, St. Mary’s Bay, NL
Drook formation, Conception Group, Small Point, Stiles Cove Path, East Coast Trail, NL
As I make my way up the scale I am observing the different types of rock and learning the stories of how they were formed in different environments when the Earth was young.