Lighten up! Spring is here!

Sunrise on March 20, 2023, the Vernal Equinox, in Nolalu, Ontario

There are brighter days ahead. That's because today is the Spring Equinox. From now until Sept. 20 there will be more light than darkness.

Our driveway in the photo above is looking directly east. I always think the sun on the equinox should rise directly in line but it's always a shade to the north. Why? According to a writer at Space.com there are a couple of reasons but perhaps the largest is the lens effect of the atmosphere. This makes the sunrise look like it is farther north than it really is. 

See the hills in the distance? These are part of the Nor'Wester Mountains which are much higher nearer Thunder Bay. Here's an interesting fact. The other end of this mountain range (hills really) is Niagara Falls. Down there it is called the Niagara Escarpment.

And here's another surprising tidbit: the escarpment also goes under Lake Huron. A story in this month's Canadian Geographic is about how researchers have discovered man-made blinds made of rock along the underwater ridge. These were used by First Nations people 9,000 years ago when there was still a glacier from Northeastern Ontario to Greenland. 

The escarpment in those days made a land bridge between two enormous lakes and the caribou used it during seasonal migrations. 

Using remote underwater vehicles the researchers were also able to sample sediments along the ridge and found obsidian tool flakes left behind by those ancient hunters. The obsidian came from Oregon! The trading that took place back then and the transportation routes they had are just incredible.

Eventually, of course, the glacier melted all the way to Greenland, raising the water level in the Great Lakes and submerging the caribou corridor.