The 318-acre area features rugged, wooded inclines, small bodies of water, and wetlands. This topography is a result of the latest glacial period, which took place around 15,000 years ago. During that time, a glacier moved forward, stalled, and then receded, depositing rock and debris as a moraine at its melting edge. In the Scientific and Natural Area (SNA), this moraine is responsible for the abrupt increase of 160 feet in elevation to the west and south of Sunfish Lake.