Posted by jackie | Posted in Science | Posted on 22-02-2012
Tags: Bay of Fundy, Destinations, Evangeline Trail, Nova Scotia
As the huge Bay of Fundy tides erode the magnificent sea cliffs and wash the shoreline many unique rocks, fossils, zeolites, as well as semi-precious stones are revealed. Because of its amazing geology going back billions of years the Bay of Fundy is eden for geologists.
The Evangeline Trail, located along Nova Scotia’s Fundy coast in between Yarmouth and Windsor, is termed after Longfellow’s poem Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie which was inspired by the Acadian history found in this segment of Nova Scotia.
1. Cape Forchu - "Cape Forchu, found near Yarmouth and loved by travellers due to the apple core formed lighthouse, exhibits evidence of Nova Scotia's once active volcanoes. Cape Forchu is comprised of Silurian volcanic rocks.
2. Cape St. Mary - The cliffs at Cape St. Mary, part of Nova Scotia's French Acadian shoreline, are made up of metamorphosed sedimentary rocks from the Cambrian-Ordovician era. Similar rocks can be discovered along parts of the Lighthouse Route (the Blue Rocks) and the Marine Drive (Taylor Head).
3. Digby - A fold in Cambrian-Ordovician rocks can be seen just off of Highway 101 nearest Digby.
4. Digby Neck and the Islands - Both Brier and Long Island were created by Jurassic basalt lava. While the lava cooled off, it frequently created vertical polygonal columns such as Balancing Rock in Tiverton.
5. North Mountain Shore - Remarkable cliffs and headlands, shaped by Jurassic basalt lava flows, mark this region of Nova Scotia. The vesicular tops of the flows made the perfect environment for the formation of mineral crystals like zeolites, amethyst and agates. Areas popular because of their mineral crystals include Harbourville, Halls Harbour and Scots Bay.
6. Blomidon - More than 200 million years ago, when Nova Scotia was in the subtropics, red Triassic sedimentary rocks developed in lakes and rivers in what's currently the Province's Annapolis Valley. Those rocks make up the cliffs present in this region, including those in Blomidon.
7. Blue Beach - Sandstones and mudstones deposited along the coasts of Carboniferous period lakes made Nova Scotia's Blue Beach. Geological sights at Blue Beach comprise of 350 million year old ripple marks, raindrop prints, fossil plants, fish scales and amphibian footprints.
8. St. Croix - People driving down Hwy 101 from Halifax are able to view the white gypsum cliffs at St. Croix. Similar to the salt mined at Pugwash and the limestones along the banks of the Kennetcook Brook, St. Croix gypsum forms a sedimentary deposit of the tropical "Windsor Sea" that covered this area during the Carboniferous era. Sea life, like horn corals present in limestone, flourished in this "sea".
Find out more about the Bay of Fundy geology as well as the awesome attractions it offers on the original Bay of Fundy site.
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