The Peter Russell Rock Garden was established in 1982 and has become a landmark at the heart of the main campus.
Where to find us
The Peter Russell Rock Garden is located on the main University of Waterloo campus between the Mathematics and Computer Building (MC), Earth Sciences and Chemistry (ESC), Biology 1 and the Quantum Nano Centre (QNC).
Self-guided tour
The garden is open year round. Start your tour at the Peter Russell Rock Garden sign. You can download a garden map (accessible PDF) to guide you through the collection, along with a self-guided tour transcript. Learn more about our rocks or explore a Google 360 photosphere of the garden below.
Our history
The Peter Russell Rock Garden, originally called The Geological Garden, was established by museum curator Peter Russell in 1982 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the University of Waterloo.
Founding President J. Gerald Hageyon announced the project on January 8, 1982, and the university’s application for funding was accepted by the Canadian Geological Foundation in 1984. The project was made possible through these funds along with contributions from Wintario and a bequest in memory of University of Waterloo alumnus, Malcolm Heaton.
The search for what was intended to be the first 12 rocks began in 1986. Rocks were collected from locations across Ontario, including St. Joseph Island in Georgian Bay, Marathon, Bancroft, Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins. The Earth Sciences department officially opened the garden on May 29, 1987 with 23 rock specimens representative of several different geological formations found in Ontario.
Of these original 23 rocks, the most difficult to find and collect was the Jasper Conglomerate. To retrieve it from the bottom of a quarry, geologists needed a crane, truck and trailer, all of which became trapped in the soft sand. They were rescued using a cable from a driller’s truck attached to the quarry’s front-end loader, which pulled them all free – along with the rock!
Loading the stromatolitic marble from Thunder Bay, Ontario where it was collected. Myra Kennedy of the Ministry of Natural Resources helped to find this specimen and assisted with loading it into back of truck.
Delivering the andradite garnet skarn from the Marmoraton Mine in Marmora, Ontario to the garden.
The back wheel of the bulldozer is off the ground due to the weight of the sodalite syenite.
The opening ceremony of the Geological Garden.
Crane assisting with lifting the Jasper conglomerate out of the pit.
Loading the stromatolitic marble from Thunder Bay, Ontario where it was collected. Myra Kennedy of the Ministry of Natural Resources helped to find this specimen and assisted with loading it into back of truck.
Delivering the andradite garnet skarn from the Marmoraton Mine in Marmora, Ontario to the garden.
The back wheel of the bulldozer is off the ground due to the weight of the sodalite syenite.
The opening ceremony of the Geological Garden.
Crane assisting with lifting the Jasper conglomerate out of the pit.
Loading the stromatolitic marble from Thunder Bay, Ontario where it was collected. Myra Kennedy of the Ministry of Natural Resources helped to find this specimen and assisted with loading it into back of truck.
Stromatolite from Thunder Bay. Wayne DeBrusk of Shuniah Twp. near Thunder Bay has donated a wonderful example of stromatolitic limestone, originally from the Eaglehead Lake area north of Thunder Bay. This one was found in a gravel pit. Strom as Wayne calls it is installed in our rock garden.
In the summer of 1999, the Geological Garden was renamed the Peter Russell Rock Garden in recognition of Russell’s contributions to the university.
Three new rocks were installed in his name that same year. Russell came to the University of Waterloo in 1967 to work as a lab technician and later took on the role of curator at the Earth Sciences Museum. He retired in 1996, but continued as curator until 2012, when he became curator emeritus.
Since it opened with the original 23 rocks in 1987, the Peter Russel Rock Garden has become a new home for more than 80 specimens, and the collection continues to grow. It’s enjoyed by elementary and high school students and other community groups interested in learning more about geology in Ontario. The garden rocks are also used as learning tools in Earth and Environmental Science courses and laboratories.
Visit the garden and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere or share your lunch break with the resident squirrels. It’s a peaceful place to appreciate the outdoors amidst the hustle and bustle of the work or school day.
Our rocks
There are more than 100 individual rocks that make up the Peter Russell Rock Garden. Each rock has a unique story.
A complete list numbered by their order of acquisition appears below. Learn more by following the links. You can download a garden map to guide you through the collection.
The original 23 rocks
See where it all began! The 23 rocks that opened the Geological Garden in 1987 were collected during two trips. The first trip was to the Sault Ste. Marie and Elliot Lake area, where 19 different rock samples were collected. The remaining were gathered on the second trip, which included Thunder Bay, Timmins, Wawa and Vermilion Bay.
- Lorrain Formation jasper conglomerate
- Lorrain Formation quartzite
- Green Lorrain Formation quartzite
- Gordon Lake Formation cherty siltstone
- Gowganda Formation boulder conglomerate
- Matinenda Formation conglomerate
- Keweenawan conglomerate
- Keweenawan basalt
- Jacobsville Formation sandstone
- Gneiss
- Granite gneiss boulder
- Muscovite-rich quartzite
- Quartz carbonate fuchsite serpentinite
- Carbonated basalt with quartz veins
- Carbonated mafic and felsic igneous rocks with green chrome mica quartz veins and pyrite
- Larvikite
- Altered pyroxenite with aphyric syenite dikes
- Porphyritic diabase
- Gold ore
- Banded iron formation (magnetite)
- Siderite (1)
- Siderite (2)
- Cobalt-nickel vein
Our growing collection
Today, the Peter Russell Rock Garden has more than tripled in size and includes specimens from across Canada and into the United States. New rocks are donated every year from companies, families or individuals to highlight a significant geologic area or occasion.
- Amabel Formation dolostone
- Lockport Dolostone
- Dolostone with calcite (1)
- Dolostone with calcite (2)
- Laminated Eramosa Formation dolostone
- Potsdam Formation sandstone (1)
- Potsdam Formation sandstone (2)
- Potsdam Formation sandstone with ripple marks (3)
- Glacial striations on Lorrain Formation quartzite
- Calcite garnet pyrite
- Magnetite skarn
- Columbus limestone
- Epidote garnet skarn
- Anorthosite
- Favosites fossil coral colony
- Calcite concretion
- Shatter Cone - point 1
- Sodalite syenite
- Graphitic gneiss
- Nepheline syenite
- Folded marble
- Serpentine marble
- Rose quartz
- Chalcopyrite
- Nickel-copper ore
- Stromatolite marble
- Stromatolite fossil
- Amethyst quartz breccia
- Transition zone between Lorrain Formation quartzite and Gordon Lake Formation siltstone
- Purple Lorrain Formation quartzite
- Granite
- Frank Slide limestone
- Labradorite
- Columnar dacite
- Columnar basalt with periodite xenoliths
- Fiftieth-anniversary gneiss
- Slate
- Lepidolite
- Metabasalt
- Tyndall Stone dolomitic limestone
- Porphyrite biotite granite
- Nephrite jade
- Serpentinite
- Peridotite surrounded by altered serpentinite
- Anthracite coal
- Garnet-rich gabbroic anorthosite
- Giant Mine breccia
- Acasta - oldest rock in the world
- St. George red granite
- Lead-zinc ore
- Serpentinized mantle peridotite - ophiolites
- North Mountain basalt columns
- Petrified wood
- PEI sandstone
- Wallace sandstone
- Copper, lead and zinc ore
- Copper, gold and molybdenum ore
- Gneiss erratic
- Hornfels with felsic vein intrusions
- Glacial sediment cemented by calcite
- Shatter cone - point 2
- Shatter cone - point 3