Photo: Conservation Halton
A coring research event took place at Crawford Lake in Milton this past Sunday in hopes of defining a calendar of events in Earth’s history.
Brock University Professor Francine McCarthy led a team of Earth Sciences researchers from Brock, Carleton, McMaster and Queen’s Universities to collect freeze-core samples from the bottom of Crawford Lake.
The goal being to potentially define a new development in the geologic time scale known as the Anthropocene epoch, which is the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.
“Conservation Halton has been protecting Crawford Lake since 1969. We are proud to be the current ‘guardians of the site.’ We have strict management protocols in place to preserve the lake’s scientific and cultural treasures, as well as ensuring that it is a place for people to come and experience,” said Hassaan Basit, CEO of Conservation Halton. “This research is a great example of why it is important to protect sites like this and demonstrates the value of conservation authorities.”
McCarthy and her team of researchers collected the freeze-core samples in hopes that this will be the location selected for the “Golden Spike.”
“A golden spike is an internationally agreed-upon location with a reference point in a section of rock or sediment layers that signals the beginning of a new episode in the geologic time scale,” said McCarthy.
On Sunday, visitors were able to observe the coring from viewing locations along the boardwalk around the lake. The Crawford Lake core samples were available for viewing at the Visitor’s Centre.
