While the large Bay of Fundy tides erode the magnificent coastal cliffs and wash the shoreline lots of appealing rocks, fossils, zeolites, and also semi-precious stones are exposed. Having a amazing geology going back billions of years the Bay of Fundy is heaven for geologists.
The Glooscap Trail, dubbed after the ancient god who's believed to have developed Fundy’s amazing tides, extends along side the Bay of Fundy coast between the provincial border near Amherst and Windsor.
1. Milford - Low oval to dome-shaped hills, known as Drumlins, are made from sediment leveled and formed by glaciers across the last 100,000 years in Nova Scotia. Drumlins make wonderful farmlands. In addition to the Milford and Shubenacadie regions of Nova Scotia, Halifax's Castle Hill and the islands in Mahone Bay are good examples of drumlins.
2. Noel Shore - Firmly folded Carboniferous sandstones and mudstones overlain by barely angled red Triassic sandstones and conglomerates are found along the Noel Shore. The border between these two types of rocks, known as an unconformity, can be seen at Stormy Cove, near Pembroke. This unconformity suggests an opening of over 100 million years that is missing from these rocks.
3. Burntcoat Head - Found along the southern shore of the Minas Basin, Burntcoat Head is officially home to the highest tides ever recorded. On October 5, 1869 the difference between low and high tide measured 54ft or 16.5m at Burntcoat Head.
Burntcoat Head is also a great location to view red Triassic sandstones and conglomerates, some of which display unique cross bedding made by currents of the streams that once flowed through this area.
4. Truro-Victoria Park - Victoria Park's Lepper Brook cuts through Carboniferous sandstones built up in ancient rivers.
5. Five Islands - Mi'kmaw legend says the local god Glooscap made these 5 islands - Moose, Diamond, Long, Egg and Height - when he threw bits of sod at Beaver. Signs across the park provide visitors with information about the region's geology and it's easy to spend the hours of low tide beachcombing. Sea dramatic cliffs with Jurassic lava flows covering basically red Triassic sedimentary rocks, Jurassic sandstones and mudstones and a white layer that shows the boundary between the Triassic and Jurassic ages - marking one of Earth's great extinction events.
6. Parrsboro - The largest community along the north shore of the Minas Basin, Parrsboro is a good place to witness the phenomenal power of the Fundy tides. These tides, the highest in the world, sculpt the shore daily exposing fossils, zeolites and semi-precious stones.
Canada's oldest dinosaur skeletons have been discovered in Jurassic sedimentary rocks near Parrsboro at Wasson Bluff. Rocks in this area are typically composed of complexly faulted and slanted Jurassic sediments and volcanics, making it difficult for the average beachcomber to see the fossils here.
Minerals like green celadonite, stilbite and chabazite can also be found throughout this region. Additionally, astounding perspectives can be enjoyed from the impressive basalt cliffs at Cape d'Or, near Advocate Harbour.
7. Port Greville - 2 small continental pieces collided and slid against each other roughly 390 million years ago to form what is now the Province of Nova Scotia. The boundary, called the Cobequid-Chedabucto Fault System, similar to California's San Andreas Fault, is an important feature of geological and topographical maps of Nova Scotia. Where the Fundy lowlands meet the Cobequid Highlands, just north of Parrsboro at Crossroads, is the best place to view this fault.
8. Cape Chignecto - Comprised of 600-foot soaring cliffs, 18 kilometres of pristine shore, steep trenches and old-growth forests, Cape Chignecto Provincial Park is found on the Western tip of the Avalon Eco-Zone along the Bay of Fundy. Not only is the park an excellent spot to study the tides, as they continuously lap at the base of the cliffs, Cape Chignecto is home to a couple of the province's most important geological deep valleys.
As Fundy's forceful tides beat against and erode the Devonian-Carboniferous rocks at Cape Chignecto, a threesome of sea stacks, known as the Three Sisters, were created and stand watchfully over the Chignecto Bay.
9. Joggins - Found at the head of the Bay of Fundy, the 75-foot high cliffs at Joggins are exposed to recurring tidal action and as Fundy's 50-foot tides wear away the cliffs, new fossils are revealed including a rich range of flora, diverse amphibian fauna, important trackways and some of the world's first reptiles. The Joggins Fossil Cliffs became famous in 1851 with the discovery of fossilized tree trunks found in their original positions. When these trunks were closer inspected, little bones were noticed which turned out to be one of the most vital fossil findings in Nova Scotia. These remains were from one of the planet's first reptiles and evidence that land animals had lived in the "Coal Age". Today the Joggins Fossil Cliffs are recognized in a top-class palaeontological site.
The Glooscap Trail, dubbed after the ancient god who's believed to have developed Fundy’s amazing tides, extends along side the Bay of Fundy coast between the provincial border near Amherst and Windsor.
1. Milford - Low oval to dome-shaped hills, known as Drumlins, are made from sediment leveled and formed by glaciers across the last 100,000 years in Nova Scotia. Drumlins make wonderful farmlands. In addition to the Milford and Shubenacadie regions of Nova Scotia, Halifax's Castle Hill and the islands in Mahone Bay are good examples of drumlins.
2. Noel Shore - Firmly folded Carboniferous sandstones and mudstones overlain by barely angled red Triassic sandstones and conglomerates are found along the Noel Shore. The border between these two types of rocks, known as an unconformity, can be seen at Stormy Cove, near Pembroke. This unconformity suggests an opening of over 100 million years that is missing from these rocks.
3. Burntcoat Head - Found along the southern shore of the Minas Basin, Burntcoat Head is officially home to the highest tides ever recorded. On October 5, 1869 the difference between low and high tide measured 54ft or 16.5m at Burntcoat Head.
Burntcoat Head is also a great location to view red Triassic sandstones and conglomerates, some of which display unique cross bedding made by currents of the streams that once flowed through this area.
4. Truro-Victoria Park - Victoria Park's Lepper Brook cuts through Carboniferous sandstones built up in ancient rivers.
5. Five Islands - Mi'kmaw legend says the local god Glooscap made these 5 islands - Moose, Diamond, Long, Egg and Height - when he threw bits of sod at Beaver. Signs across the park provide visitors with information about the region's geology and it's easy to spend the hours of low tide beachcombing. Sea dramatic cliffs with Jurassic lava flows covering basically red Triassic sedimentary rocks, Jurassic sandstones and mudstones and a white layer that shows the boundary between the Triassic and Jurassic ages - marking one of Earth's great extinction events.
6. Parrsboro - The largest community along the north shore of the Minas Basin, Parrsboro is a good place to witness the phenomenal power of the Fundy tides. These tides, the highest in the world, sculpt the shore daily exposing fossils, zeolites and semi-precious stones.
Canada's oldest dinosaur skeletons have been discovered in Jurassic sedimentary rocks near Parrsboro at Wasson Bluff. Rocks in this area are typically composed of complexly faulted and slanted Jurassic sediments and volcanics, making it difficult for the average beachcomber to see the fossils here.
Minerals like green celadonite, stilbite and chabazite can also be found throughout this region. Additionally, astounding perspectives can be enjoyed from the impressive basalt cliffs at Cape d'Or, near Advocate Harbour.
7. Port Greville - 2 small continental pieces collided and slid against each other roughly 390 million years ago to form what is now the Province of Nova Scotia. The boundary, called the Cobequid-Chedabucto Fault System, similar to California's San Andreas Fault, is an important feature of geological and topographical maps of Nova Scotia. Where the Fundy lowlands meet the Cobequid Highlands, just north of Parrsboro at Crossroads, is the best place to view this fault.
8. Cape Chignecto - Comprised of 600-foot soaring cliffs, 18 kilometres of pristine shore, steep trenches and old-growth forests, Cape Chignecto Provincial Park is found on the Western tip of the Avalon Eco-Zone along the Bay of Fundy. Not only is the park an excellent spot to study the tides, as they continuously lap at the base of the cliffs, Cape Chignecto is home to a couple of the province's most important geological deep valleys.
As Fundy's forceful tides beat against and erode the Devonian-Carboniferous rocks at Cape Chignecto, a threesome of sea stacks, known as the Three Sisters, were created and stand watchfully over the Chignecto Bay.
9. Joggins - Found at the head of the Bay of Fundy, the 75-foot high cliffs at Joggins are exposed to recurring tidal action and as Fundy's 50-foot tides wear away the cliffs, new fossils are revealed including a rich range of flora, diverse amphibian fauna, important trackways and some of the world's first reptiles. The Joggins Fossil Cliffs became famous in 1851 with the discovery of fossilized tree trunks found in their original positions. When these trunks were closer inspected, little bones were noticed which turned out to be one of the most vital fossil findings in Nova Scotia. These remains were from one of the planet's first reptiles and evidence that land animals had lived in the "Coal Age". Today the Joggins Fossil Cliffs are recognized in a top-class palaeontological site.
About the Author:
This short list is part of a longer write-up listing a total of 44 geologically significant sites in Nova Scotia. The best way to see all the amazing geology is by hiking along the Bay of Fundy!
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