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, named after the native god who is said to have created Fundy’s great tides, runs along the Fundy shoreline between the provincial border at 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 - Tightly folded Carboniferous sandstones and mudstones overlain by slightly tilted red Triassic sandstones and conglomerates are found along the Noel Shore. The line between these 2 sorts of rocks, known as an unconformity, can be seen at Wet Cove, near Pembroke. This unconformity signifies a gap of over 100 million years that's 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 announces that the native god Glooscap created these five islands - Moose, Diamond, Long, Egg and Pinnacle - when he threw pieces of sod at Beaver. Signs throughout the park provide visitors with information regarding the region's geology and it is simple to spend the hours of low tide beachcombing. Sea dramatic cliffs with Jurassic lava flows covering primarily red Triassic sedimentary rocks, Jurassic sandstones and mudstones and a white layer that shows the line between the Triassic and Jurassic eras - 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 usually comprised of complexly faulted and tilted Jurassic sediments and volcanics, making it hard for the average beachcomber to see the fossils here.
Minerals like green celadonite, stilbite and chabazite can also be found through this region. Additionally, amazing perspectives can be enjoyed from the provoking basalt cliffs at Cape d'Or, near Advocate Harbour.
7. Port Greville - Two little continental fragments collided and dropped against one another approximately 390 million years back to make what's now the Province of Nova Scotia. The boundary, known as the Cobequid-Chedabucto Fault System, like California's San Andreas Fault, is a vital 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 good 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 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 - Located at the head of the Bay of Fundy, the 75-foot high cliffs at Joggins are exposed to unceasing tidal action and as Fundy's 50-foot tides corrode the cliffs, new fossils are made public including a rich variety of flora, various amphibian fauna, crucial trackways and some of the planet's first reptiles. The Joggins Fossil Cliffs achieved fame in 1851 with the discovery of fossilized tree trunks found in their original positions. When these trunks were closer examined, tiny bones were spotted which turned out to be one of the most significant fossil discoveries in Nova Scotia. These remains were from one of the first reptiles and proof that land animals had lived during the "Coal Age". Today the Joggins Fossil Cliffs are recognised in a world-class palaeontological site.
The Glooscap Trail, named after the native god who is said to have created Fundy’s great tides, runs along the Fundy shoreline between the provincial border at 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 - Tightly folded Carboniferous sandstones and mudstones overlain by slightly tilted red Triassic sandstones and conglomerates are found along the Noel Shore. The line between these 2 sorts of rocks, known as an unconformity, can be seen at Wet Cove, near Pembroke. This unconformity signifies a gap of over 100 million years that's 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 announces that the native god Glooscap created these five islands - Moose, Diamond, Long, Egg and Pinnacle - when he threw pieces of sod at Beaver. Signs throughout the park provide visitors with information regarding the region's geology and it is simple to spend the hours of low tide beachcombing. Sea dramatic cliffs with Jurassic lava flows covering primarily red Triassic sedimentary rocks, Jurassic sandstones and mudstones and a white layer that shows the line between the Triassic and Jurassic eras - 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 usually comprised of complexly faulted and tilted Jurassic sediments and volcanics, making it hard for the average beachcomber to see the fossils here.
Minerals like green celadonite, stilbite and chabazite can also be found through this region. Additionally, amazing perspectives can be enjoyed from the provoking basalt cliffs at Cape d'Or, near Advocate Harbour.
7. Port Greville - Two little continental fragments collided and dropped against one another approximately 390 million years back to make what's now the Province of Nova Scotia. The boundary, known as the Cobequid-Chedabucto Fault System, like California's San Andreas Fault, is a vital 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 good 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 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 - Located at the head of the Bay of Fundy, the 75-foot high cliffs at Joggins are exposed to unceasing tidal action and as Fundy's 50-foot tides corrode the cliffs, new fossils are made public including a rich variety of flora, various amphibian fauna, crucial trackways and some of the planet's first reptiles. The Joggins Fossil Cliffs achieved fame in 1851 with the discovery of fossilized tree trunks found in their original positions. When these trunks were closer examined, tiny bones were spotted which turned out to be one of the most significant fossil discoveries in Nova Scotia. These remains were from one of the first reptiles and proof that land animals had lived during the "Coal Age". Today the Joggins Fossil Cliffs are recognised in a world-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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