GeoTours Northern Ontario
Welcome to GeoTours Northern Ontario! Rugged Canadian Shield landscapes and a rich mining heritage define much of Northern Ontario. GeoTours dig into the geological stories that explain how Northern Ontario’s well known geological features came to be. We visit lakes and waterfalls, cliffs and canyons, mines and museums.
We present stories from the Sudbury area, where a meteorite impact 1.85 billion years ago resulted in rich nickel-copper ore deposits that have made the Greater Sudbury area world famous. We also explore fascinating geological sites from Thunder Bay to Parry Sound and Killarney to Timmins. Join us on this GeoTour of Northern Ontario!
Who are we?
Geoscientists from Natural Resources Canada’s Geological Survey of Canada, Ontario Geological Survey, Dynamic Earth science centre and Laurentian University have created GeoTours Northern Ontario. By telling the intriguing stories of Northern Ontario’s geology, we want to inspire you to visit these remarkable places. For resident or visitor alike, we hope you come to know better this remarkable landscape, its often astounding geological origins and its vibrant mining history and economy.
Take a GeoTour
Take A GeoTourEach richly illustrated GeoTour highlights geological sites of interest in or near various communities across Northern Ontario. We invite you to read the virtual tours, print them out or save the PDFs on your tablet, then visit the sites to see them for yourself.
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A.Y. Jackson Lookout High Falls and Greater Sudbury’s famous meteorite crater  A.Y. Jackson Lookout |
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Copper Cliff A driving tour of Greater Sudbury’s mining industry Copper Cliff GeoTour |
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Copper Cliff Smelter Superstack Metals from minerals, managing environmental impacts and historic mining Copper Cliff Smelter Superstack GeoTour |
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Discovery Site of Sudbury Mining Camp Birthplace of a world famous mining district Discovery Site of Sudbury Mining Camp GeoTour |
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Dynamic Earth Ancient seafloor, meteorite-blasted rock, ice age sculpture and Greater Sudbury’s smelter Dynamic Earth GeoTour |
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Jane Goodall Reclamation Trail Healing Greater Sudbury’s Landscape Jane Goodall Reclamation Trail |
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Science North Canadian Shield rock with stories of ancient meteorite impact, faulting and glacial sculpting Science North GeoTour |
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French River Provincial Park A historic waterway through Canadian Shield gneiss French River Provincial Park GeoTour |
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Heritage Silver Trail, Cobalt Road tour of a historic silver mining camp Heritage Silver Trail, Cobalt GeoTour |
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Killarney Famous Canadian Shield white mountains and pink shores Killarney GeoTour |
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Lake Superior Provincial Park On the geological shores of the world’s largest freshwater lake Lake Superior Provincial Park GeoTour |
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Mining Heritage Tour, Kirkland Lake A century of mining the “Mile of Gold” Mining Heritage Tour, Kirkland Lake GeoTour |
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Nipigon Palisades and red rocks on Lake Superior’s dramatic northwest shore Nipigon GeoTour |
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Parry Sound Canadian Shield and glacier-sculpted gneiss in cottage country Parry Sound GeoTour |
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Temiskaming Shores Flat farmland, diamonds and a rift valley Temiskaming Shores GeoTour |
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Thunder Bay Geology of the Lakehead region Thunder Bay GeoTour |
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Timmins Canada’s greatest goldfields! Timmins GeoTour |
