Crawford Lake, a tiny body of water barely an hour’s drive west of Toronto, has been nominated as the global example of the beginning of the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans began irrevocably shaping the planet’s fate. (Photo: Colin Boyd Shafer)
The planet’s crust is an archive of time and catastrophe. Its layers carry evidence of asteroid hits, mass extinctions, toxic changes to the atmosphere and continental ruptures.
Now, an international team of the scientists who painstakingly catalogue those layers has declared that Earth moved into a new phase of its history about 73 years ago and that the best piece of crust in the world to represent it is a tiny lake in southern Ontario. They have nominated Crawford Lake, barely an hour’s drive west of Toronto, as the global example of the beginning of the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans began irrevocably shaping the planet’s fate.
Its nomination still needs to be voted on by three higher bodies of geologists over the coming year, but if they, too, approve the candidacy, Crawford Lake will be endowed with the “golden spike,” a literal brass marker that signifies that the planet shifted, in about 1950, from one unit of geological time to the next.
As early as 2026, the Canadian Space Agency rover will touch down on the moon’s south polar region to brave its extreme temperature swings in search of “water ice”. (Photo: Patrick Schaudel/Unsplash)
The dark side of the moon. An ancient celestial mystery that’s captured imaginations for millennia. Earth’s eternally distracted friend. And a bestselling Pink Floyd album. Now, the moon’s far side is the site of a global hunt for frozen water, with a Canadian-designed lunar rover leading the charge.
Geologists have long theorized that in the moon’s south polar region straddling its near and so-called dark sides — “dark” meaning unknown — there’s likely ice in the permanently shadowed craters. In 2009, instruments aboard numerous spacecraft detected deposits of water molecules, a suite of discoveries made by multiple space agencies that expanded the realm of possibilities for humans on the moon. It could make the moon an appropriate launch point for missions to send us even deeper into the solar system.
As early as 2026, the small but mighty Canadian Space Agency rover will touch down on the jagged, deeply cratered terrain of the moon’s south polar region to brave its extreme temperature swings in search of “water ice” — as opposed to other kinds of ice, like dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide). Built by Canadensys Aerospace, in partnership with others, the rover has six specialized scientific instruments to collect data. A team of researchers from five Canadian universities, and a few American institutions, led by Gordon Osinski from Western University in London, Ont., will analyze the information they gather. They’ll be able to investigate the composition of the lunar soil for signs of water ice, explore the region’s geology, and measure solar radiation to determine how it could affect human health.
We want to hear from YOU! We value your feedback at Canadian Geographic and want to know what content resonated with you. Let us know which stories resonated with you by sending us a note at [email protected]
Adam Shoalts was elected a Fellow of the RCGS in 2013 and is also the Westaway Explorer-in-Residence. (Photo courtesy Adam Shoalts)
Tangled in bushes, high in the trees and buried between boulders, Westaway Explorer-in-Residence Adam Shoalts will go wherever it takes to find and photograph all of Canada’s native snake species in the wild.
The Great Canadian Snake Quest follows Shoalt’s Quest for the Blue Racer, a project that took place in 2018 in conjunction with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society to try and find the elusive blue racer, one of Ontario’s largest snakes. After successfully finding the species on Pelee Island, Ont., Shoalts decided to take his quest further and document all of Canada’s snakes.
As a professional, modern-day explorer, national best-selling author, and Fellow of the RCGS, Shoalts has completed several expeditions, including a monumental 4,000 kilometre journey across Canada’s remote Arctic, a three-month solo canoe journey from southern Canada to the Arctic and immersed himself in the dark corners of Canada’s wild while exploring the ancient mountains of Labrador. Needless to say, Shoalts is no stranger to adventure.
For many, Alberta is all about the Great Plains; for others, the province is all about the Canadian Rockies. This itinerary provides the perfect mix of the scenic rural landscapes of the westernmost province of the prairie, as well as its aquamarine glacial lakes and majestic snow-capped mountains. Home to the third-largest Indigenous population in
Canada, your experience in Alberta includes significant historic sites like dinosaur fossil beds and buffalo jumps. As we leave the multi-hued canyons and wind-sculpted hoodoos of the Canadian Badlands, we go along the foothills of the mountains into Waterton Lakes. While the landscapes are spectacular, remember to also keep your eyes open for the abundant wildlife including bighorn sheep, grizzly bears and bison recently reintroduced in Alberta.
