Why not take a walk on the inside of the planet?
Welcome to Newfoundland’s heavy metal capital
If you find yourself in the tiny bayside town of Woody Point, N.L., population 282, you'll most certainly also find yourself staring in awe at the seemingly out-of-place, reddish-brown mountains that jut out of the lush green landscape that frames your view.
These alien-looking mountains within Gros Morne National Park are called the Tablelands. They're one of the places where geologists proved the theory of plate tectonics after finding pieces of rock on the surface that were over 485 million years old.
Jonny Harris spoke to local expert Penny McIsaac about the phenomenon of the earth's mantle making an appearance. "That is a piece of rock that has no business being on the surface of the earth," she said.
That is a piece of rock that has no business being on the surface of the earth.- Penny McIsaac, Promotions Manager, Gros Morne Discovery Centre
The type of rock that makes up the Tablelands doesn't do well on the surface of our planet. McIsaac says that the unusual colour is a result of it being made up of heavy metals. "It's essentially a big old piece of rusting rock."
So, again, if you find yourself in Woody Point, N.L., make sure to go for a walk on the inside of the planet. Until then, you can watch the full episode of Still Standing in Woody Point on CBC Gem.