As the giant Fundy tides wear away the towering sea cliffs and wash the shores many interesting rocks, fossils, zeolites, and semi-precious stones are disclosed. With its fascinating geology dating back hundreds of millions of years the Bay of Fundy is paradise for geologists.
The Glooscap Trail, given its name after the indigenous god who's believed to have produced Fundy’s fantastic tides, extends down the Bay of Fundy coastline between the provincial border towards Amherst and Windsor.
1. Milford - Low oval to dome-shaped hills, known as Drumlins, are made up of sediment leveled and shaped by glaciers throughout the last 100,000 years in Nova Scotia. Drumlins make glorious farmlands. As well as the Milford and Shubenacadie areas of Nova Scotia, Halifax's Citadel Hill and the islands in Mahone Bay are instances 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 - Located along the southern shore of the Minas Basin, Burntcoat Head is officially home to the highest tides ever recorded. On October 5, 1869 the most notable difference between high and low 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 created by currents of the brooks that once flowed thru 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 biggest community along the north shore of the Minas Basin, Parrsboro is a superb place to witness the awesome power of the Fundy tides. These tides, the highest in the world, sculpt the coastline daily uncovering 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 mostly made up of complexly faulted and angled Jurassic sediments and volcanics, making it tricky for the average beachcomber to see the fossils here.
Minerals such as green celadonite, stilbite and chabazite may also be found all though this area. In addition, breathtaking views can be enjoyed from the galvanizing basalt cliffs at Cape d'Or, near Advocate Harbor.
7. Port Greville - 2 tiny continental bits collided and slipped against each other roughly 390 million years ago to create what is now the Province of Nova Scotia. The boundary, called the Cobequid-Chedabucto Fault System, similar to California's San Andreas Fault, is a very 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 a handy place to view this fault.
8. Cape Chignecto - Made up of 600-foot soaring cliffs, 18 kilometres of pristine shore, steep ravines 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 a great place to look at the tides, as they continuously lap at the base of the cliffs, Cape Chignecto is home to a few of the province's most major geological deep valleys.
As Fundy's powerful tides beat against and corrode the Devonian-Carboniferous rocks at Cape Chignecto, a trio of sea stacks, called the 3 Sisters, were made 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 constant tidal action and as Fundy's 50-foot tides erode the cliffs, new fossils are exposed including a rich assortment of flora, diverse amphibian fauna, significant trackways and some of the world's first reptiles. The Joggins Fossil Cliffs became well-known in 1851 with the discovery of fossilized tree trunks found in their original positions. When these trunks were closer inspected, miniscule bones were noticed which turned out to be one of the most important fossil findings in Nova Scotia. These remains were from one of the world's first reptiles and evidence that land animals had lived in the "Coal Age". Today the Joggins Fossil Cliffs are recognized in a top flight palaeontological site.
The Glooscap Trail, given its name after the indigenous god who's believed to have produced Fundy’s fantastic tides, extends down the Bay of Fundy coastline between the provincial border towards Amherst and Windsor.
1. Milford - Low oval to dome-shaped hills, known as Drumlins, are made up of sediment leveled and shaped by glaciers throughout the last 100,000 years in Nova Scotia. Drumlins make glorious farmlands. As well as the Milford and Shubenacadie areas of Nova Scotia, Halifax's Citadel Hill and the islands in Mahone Bay are instances 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 - Located along the southern shore of the Minas Basin, Burntcoat Head is officially home to the highest tides ever recorded. On October 5, 1869 the most notable difference between high and low 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 created by currents of the brooks that once flowed thru 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 biggest community along the north shore of the Minas Basin, Parrsboro is a superb place to witness the awesome power of the Fundy tides. These tides, the highest in the world, sculpt the coastline daily uncovering 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 mostly made up of complexly faulted and angled Jurassic sediments and volcanics, making it tricky for the average beachcomber to see the fossils here.
Minerals such as green celadonite, stilbite and chabazite may also be found all though this area. In addition, breathtaking views can be enjoyed from the galvanizing basalt cliffs at Cape d'Or, near Advocate Harbor.
7. Port Greville - 2 tiny continental bits collided and slipped against each other roughly 390 million years ago to create what is now the Province of Nova Scotia. The boundary, called the Cobequid-Chedabucto Fault System, similar to California's San Andreas Fault, is a very 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 a handy place to view this fault.
8. Cape Chignecto - Made up of 600-foot soaring cliffs, 18 kilometres of pristine shore, steep ravines 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 a great place to look at the tides, as they continuously lap at the base of the cliffs, Cape Chignecto is home to a few of the province's most major geological deep valleys.
As Fundy's powerful tides beat against and corrode the Devonian-Carboniferous rocks at Cape Chignecto, a trio of sea stacks, called the 3 Sisters, were made 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 constant tidal action and as Fundy's 50-foot tides erode the cliffs, new fossils are exposed including a rich assortment of flora, diverse amphibian fauna, significant trackways and some of the world's first reptiles. The Joggins Fossil Cliffs became well-known in 1851 with the discovery of fossilized tree trunks found in their original positions. When these trunks were closer inspected, miniscule bones were noticed which turned out to be one of the most important fossil findings in Nova Scotia. These remains were from one of the world's first reptiles and evidence that land animals had lived in the "Coal Age". Today the Joggins Fossil Cliffs are recognized in a top flight 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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