Publication QSI PFK 10
Elongate, smooth, rounded hills of bouldery soil are called drumlins. The name comes from hills of similar shape and origin found in Ireland. They are shaped like the bowl of a teaspoon turned upside down, with the highest part near one end. They usually occur in groups, called drumlin fields. Fields of drumlins occur at Guelph, Woodstock, Teeswater, and Peterborough, and may include hundreds or thousands of drumlins.
A landform characteristic of areas formerly covered by glaciers, the drumlin's long axes are parallel to the direction of flow of the former glacier. They show up well on topographic maps and air photos and form a natural roller-coaster ride along Highway 7 between Kitchener and Guelph, and between Guelph and Erin. The Catholic church in central Guelph is situated on top of a drumlin, giving one a good view from the church over downtown Guelph, or a commanding setting if the church is viewed from downtown. The Catholic church in Maryhill is also on top of a drumlin (the source of the name) of the village.
Drumlins are usually formed of till - the unsorted debris of glaciers - but some are composed of sand and gravel. Theories on their origin abound - glacial erosion, glacial deposition, glacial meltwater erosion, glacial meltwater deposition. Probably a mixture of processes was at work. In any case, drumlins give us pleasant rolling farmland to enhance the rural landscape.