[citation needed] The Monteregian Hills are part of the Great Meteor hotspot track, formed as a result of the North American Plate sliding westward over the long-lived New England hotspot,[4] and are the eroded remnants of intrusive stocks.

[7] The lack of an obvious track west of the Monteregian Hills may be due either to failure of the plume to penetrate the Canadian Shield, to the lack of recognizable intrusions, or to strengthening of the plume when it approached the Monteregian Hills region.

However, there is evidence the hotspot track extends northwestwards, including epeirogenic uplift, mantle velocity anomalies and kimberlitic volcanic features (e.g. the Attawapiskat, Kirkland Lake and Lake Timiskaming kimberlite fields) that become older away from the Monteregian Hills.

The sandy soils are usually podzols with classic Ae development; they often have subsoil hardpan and are undesirable for agriculture.

The free-draining gravels are preferred for apple orchards, which grow in thermal belts where cold air can drain to the valley floor.