Billion-year-old rock unearthed in downtown Toronto
The 2,000-kilogram granite rock is estimated to be anywhere from 1.1 to 1.4 billion years old, and will be integrated into one of the new parkette spaces in downtown Toronto.
An unexpected geological discovery was made during construction along Bloor Street West in Toronto on Wednesday, in the form of a massive boulder.
The 2,000-kilogram granite rock is estimated to be anywhere from 1.1 to 1.4 billion years old.
It was unearthed while crews were digging for new parkettes in the Bloor area between Bathurst Street and Spadina Avenue.
"Estimated to be between 1.2 and 1.5 billion years old, a 2,000-kg granite boulder has been unearthed at Major and Bloor streets during the construction of a new BIA sponsored parkette," said the Bloor Annex Business Improvement Association on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon.
According to University of Toronto expert Joseph Desologes, the boulder likely travelled to the city from Georgian Bay, after being lodged in an iceberg some 15,000 years ago as the glaciers that covered Toronto began melting at the end of the Ice Age.
"As the iceberg melted, the rock fell approx 150 feet to the lake bed now called the Annex,” added the professor.
Coincidentally, the new parkettes that are being installed along Bloor Street are set to feature public benches that will also be made from granite. The benches will be sculpted by artist Robert Cram.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE BOULDER?
The Bloor Annex Business Improvement Association says they have plans to incorporate the relic into one of the new parkettes, located on Howland and Bloor.
WATCH: OLDEST MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE EVER FOUND IN AUSTRALIA
Sources: CBC | BlogTO | Bloor Annex Business Improvement Association
Editor's note: A previous version of this article referred to the boulder as an "architectural" discovery. It is in fact a geological discovery.
