Sudbury Basin

The Sudbury Basin is a major geologic structure, located on the Canadian Shield in the city of Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The former municipalities of Rayside-Balfour and Valley East lie within the Sudbury Basin, which is referred to locally as "The Valley". The urban core of the former city of Sudbury lies on the southern outskirts of the Basin.

The Sudbury Basin, which is 60 kilometres long, 30 kilometres wide and 15 kilometres deep, is believed to be the result of a meteorite impact which occurred 1.85 billion years ago in the Paleoproterozoic. The large crater was infilled with magma containing nickel, copper, platinum, palladium, gold and other metals. As a result of these metal deposits, the Greater Sudbury area is one of the world's major mining communities. The region is the world's largest supplier of nickel ore, and one of the largest suppliers of copper. Most of these mineral deposits are found on the outer rim of the Basin.

Due to the high mineral content of its soil, the floor of the Basin is among the best agricultural land in Northern Ontario, with numerous vegetable, berry and dairy farms located in the Valley. However, due to its northern latitude, it is not as fertile as agricultural lands in the southern portion of the province. Accordingly the region primarily supplies products for consumption within Northern Ontario, and is not a major food exporter.