The Scotian Basin is a classic passive, mostly non-volcanic, conjugate margin. It represents over 250 million years of continuous sedimentation recording the region's dynamic geological history from the initial opening of the Atlantic Ocean to the recent post-glacial deposition. The basin is located on the northeastern flank of the Appalachian Orogen and covers an area of approximately 280,000 km2 with a maximum sediment thickness of about 24 kilometers. The continental-size drainage system of the paleo-St. Lawrence River provided a continuous supply of sediments that accumulated in a number of complex, interconnected subbasins. Early synrift, carbonate margin, fluvial-deltaic-lacustrine and deep water depositional systems are all represented in the basin's stratigraphic succession.
