The Fonthill Kame is a geological feature in the

Niagara Peninsula The Niagara Peninsula is an area of land lying between the southwestern shore of Lake Ontario and the northeastern shore of Lake Erie, in Ontario, Canada. Technically an isthmus rather than a peninsula, it stretches from the Niagara River in the ...

in Pelham,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. A ''

kame A kame, or ''knob'', is a glacial landform, an irregularly shaped hill or mound composed of sand, gravel and till that accumulates in a depression on a retreating glacier, and is then deposited on the land surface with further melting of the g ...

'' is a

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and Rock (geology), rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a gla ...

in the form of a large, isolated hill. It is composed of

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

and

gravel Gravel () is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally on Earth as a result of sedimentation, sedimentary and erosion, erosive geological processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gr ...

deposited by the retreating

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

s of the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

. The Fonthill Kame rises about above the surrounding land (259 m above sea level) and is the highest elevation in the region. Some sources say that the kame is no longer the highest point owing to the removal of sand and gravel. Despite what some sources may say, the kame is simply the highest natural geographic feature in Niagara and the highest point would remain on the kame. There is some debate about the actual highest point though because locals seem to remember a plaque in a farmers field, south of Tice Road and East on Effingham Road, on un-excavated land that marked the highest point. The kame is east to west and north to south. It slopes gradually on the west side, more steeply on the south and east and merges with the Short Hills Provincial Park area of the

Niagara Escarpment The Niagara Escarpment is an approximately discontinuous, arc-shaped but generally northward-facing escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States. The escarpment begins south of Lake Ontario and circumscribes the top of the Great Lake ...

on the north. The Fonthill Kame has considerable influence on the climate of Pelham by sheltering it from the winds from the southwest. This provides good growing conditions for fruit crops, including the

vine A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

s that supply the local wine industry. It is also mined for sand and gravel. Research on the kame centres on its

hydrogeological Hydrogeology (''hydro-'' meaning water, and ''-geology'' meaning the study of the Earth) is the area of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater in the soil and rocks of the Earth's crust (commonly in aqui ...

features, which are important to the Niagara Peninsula. The Government of Ontario Ministry of the Environment has committed $85,000 toward the study of groundwater flow, discharge, and baseflow measurements. The original town of Fonthill is perched on the moraine, although it has spread beyond the hill. Lookout Point on the north side of the kame commands a view of about one-quarter of the circle of the horizon. Taking advantage of the views, the Lookout Point Country Club, a private golf course, occupies much of the viewing area. For more about the golf club, see

Pelham, Ontario Pelham (Canada 2016 Census, 2016 population 17,110) is a town located in the centre of Regional Municipality of Niagara, Ontario, Niagara Region in Ontario, Canada. The town's southern boundary is formed by the Welland River, a meandering wat ...

References

*Bramble, Linda (2004). ''Touring Niagara Wine Country''. James Lorimer & Company. {{coord , 43.0523, N, 79.3095, W, display=title Landforms of the Regional Municipality of Niagara Kames Moraines of Ontario