Certain geological phenomena that took place in the distant past have had an unsuspected impact on our recent history. One example is the Cadillac fault. The Cadillac fault is actually a break in the earth's crust that occurred several million years before our era. At that time, the Canadian Shield broke up in several places, and specially in the Abitibi region. Magma, i.e. molten rock, imprisoned in the ground by layers of rock above, was then able to rise and solidify within the fracture. The molten rock carried with it precious metals such as gold, copper, silver and zinc. The Cadillac fault is 350 km long and approximately 5 km wide. The geological wealth of this area gave rise to the greatest gold rush in the history of mining exploration in Québec.

By means of an impressive permanent exhibit, the Musée minéralogique de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue in Malartic focuses on making the public aware of the region's geological heritage and on arousing interest in the realm of mineralogy around the globe. The museum also has a large collection of minerals, rocks and fossils from all over the world.

Photo:
Young visitors at the Musée minéralogique. Coll. Musée minéralogique de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue.