How are rocky shorelines formed/shaped?
The bedrock composing rocky shorelines was formed millions of years ago by geologic processes (see Geologic History of Vancouver Island). Glaciers played a large role in sculpting this rock to its present form. They formed fiords and U-shaped valleys, scoured away sediment from some locations and deposited it in others. Evidence of the most recent glaciation (~29,000 to 10,000 years ago) can be seen in the features of much of the exposed bedrock around Victoria. Look for striations (parallel ridges up to a few cm in height), grooves and rounded forms. Most ridges and grooves around Victoria are oriented northwest-to-southeast, in line with the direction the glaciers flowed.
