NATURAL FEATURES

The land in Freetown drains into two river basins. The northern portion drains into the Wilmot River watershed and the southern portion into the Dunk River watershed. The maximum elevation is 208 feet near the intersection of the Whalen and Freetown Roads in Upper Freetown (code 32). The lowest point is the marshland at the mouth of the Dunk River, just a few feet above sea level.

The climate of Freetown, as for all of Prince Edward Island, is humid continental with an average annual total precipitation of 1038.7 mm. (40.9 inches). This precipitation comes in the form of rainfall (758 mm) and snow (282 mm). The average daily temperature is 5.7°C with January and February the coldest months at a mean temperature of —7.2°C. July is the warmest month with a mean daily temperature of 189°C. The average date of last spring frost based on records from a station in Lower Freetown is 2 June with the average date of first fall frost coming on 22 September; resulting in an average frost-free period of 111 days. This frost-free period fluctuates according to elevation with areas higher in Freetown having a longer frost—free period (up to 156 days) and areas along the Dunk and Wilmot Rivers having a shorter frost-free period (minimum of 81 days).

The weather is a popular topic in any Island community and will usually be mentioned during a portion of any conversation. This is probably due to the changeable nature of our weather especially in regards to wind conditions. Winds will pick up or drop rapidly and can be bitter cold or very mild depending on the wind direction. The average monthly prevailing winds measured at C.F.B. Summerside are:

January 17 miles per hour westerly

February 14 miles per hour westerly

March 10 miles per hour northerly

April 12 miles per hour north, northeasterly May 13 miles per hour south, southwesterly June 20 miles per hour south, southwesterly July 23 miles per hour south, southwesterly August 20 miles per hour south, southwesterly September 15 miles per hour south, southwesterly October 11 miles per hour southwesterly November 12 miles per hour southwesterly December 17 miles per hour southwesterly

The average annual prevailing wind direction is 11 miles per hour from the south, southwest. The Freetown area receives an average annual 1958 hours of sunshine, making it one of the sunniest areas of

the province.

Bedrock

The landscape of Freetown has been carved out over millions of years. During the Carboniferous epoch (approximately 300 million years ago on the geological time scale) the Appalachian Mountains in the areas bordering on the Gulf of St. Lawrence began to erode. Rivers full of sediment coming from these mountains deposited their loads in an area known as the Maritime Basin in which Prince Edward Island is located. These sediments were deposited and buried over many years: the surface bedrock at Freetown was probably deposited during the Permian epoch, about 280 million years ago.

The bedrock at Freetown is composed mainly of sandstone (locally known as “shale”) with lesser amounts of claystone (locally known as “brick clay”) and calcareous breccia (locally known as “limestone”). The sandstones are noted for their use in road foundations, driveways and buildings. At Freetown sandstone can be seen along the roadside on the Walls, Drummond, Old Malpeque, Kinkora and Nod Roads. It is also exposed in borrow pits at Lower Freetown, south of the Nod Road and on the Old Malpeque Road. The claystones are best noted for their brick-like appearance and use in the early days for brick manufacture. There is a deposit of claystone at the Mill Valley pond in Kelvin. Limestone is found in road exposures along the Wall and Drummond Roads and in several former limestone quarries. Well drillers’ record occurrences of limestone at depths of up to sixty feet below the surface at Freetown.

Overburden

Overlying the bedrock are deposits of loose material known as overburden or surf icial deposits. The overburden was laid down during the Pleistocene period, about 15,000 years ago. This was an epoch of glaciation and the deposits were formed from the erosion of bedrock in the subsequent melting period. Well