A Stitch in Time

In my younger days, I was greatly perplexed by the structure of the rocks around the lake. One day, I thought that I would map the rock structures all around, and look for good fishing spots, as well.

Here's a picture of the swirly mess we call cottage country (courtesy of Google Maps).


Although it all seems horribly swirly, there is a persistent joint set (NW and NE), with faults to go along. The cliffs of the lake are where the joint sets are widely spaced, and the opposite for the very deep valleys. There are lots of quartz dikes in the same directions.

About a billion years ago, this whole area was a colliding Himalaya zone. These rocks were buried, and stitched together with the super-glue of melted intrusives. That's why it is so stable. And yet there is this very ancient joint set that may have been there from the very beginning of time (for the rocks, that is).

You stand on these rocks, your mind clears, and you float above a universe where a million years is just an eye blink. You stand on the very roots of existence.