9 Geologically Significant Sites Along the Glooscap Trail in Nova Scotia
While the huge Bay of Fundy tides erode the imposing ocean cliffs and wash the shoreline a lot of intriguing rocks, fossils, zeolites, as well as semi-precious stones are revealed. Featuring a interesting geology going back billions of years the Bay of Fundy is eden 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 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 Stream cuts through Carboniferous sandstones built up in ancient brooks.
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 an excellent place to witness the incredible power of the Fundy tides. These tides, the highest in the world, sculpt the shore daily revealing 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 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 - 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 dynamic tides beat against and wear away 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 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 Stream cuts through Carboniferous sandstones built up in ancient brooks.
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 an excellent place to witness the incredible power of the Fundy tides. These tides, the highest in the world, sculpt the shore daily revealing 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 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 - 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 dynamic tides beat against and wear away 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!