Editing Victoria, British Columbia (section)

===Topography===
{{more|Geology of Vancouver Island}}
The landscape of Victoria was formed by [[volcanism]] followed by water in various forms. [[Pleistocene glaciation]] put the area under a thick ice cover, the weight of which depressed the land below present sea level. These glaciers also deposited stony [[sandy loam]] [[glacial till|till]]. As they retreated, their melt water left thick deposits of sand and [[gravel]]. Marine [[clay]] settled on what would later become dry land. Post-glacial rebound exposed the present-day terrain to air, raising beach and mud deposits well above sea level. The resulting soils are highly variable in texture, and abrupt textural changes are common. In general, clays are most likely to be encountered in the northern part of town and in depressions. The southern part has coarse-textured subsoils and loamy topsoils. Sandy loams and loamy sands are common in the eastern part adjoining Oak Bay. Victoria's soils are relatively unleached and less acidic than soils elsewhere on the [[British Columbia Coast]]. Their thick dark topsoils denote a high level of fertility which made them valuable for farming prior to urbanization.{{fact|date=October 2024}}