Of the many geological strata that make up Vancouver Island, the Karmutsen
Formation is perhaps the most prominent. The majority of the island's highest peaks
are formed from these rocks, including the Golden Hinde. Once an ancient seafloor,
the basalts and breccias of the Karmutsen Formation were transformed by tectonic
activity in the Late Triassic period into the endlessly varied and rugged mountains that now comprise Vancouver Island.