The Rocky Shore - an Earthcache EarthCache
The Rocky Shore - an Earthcache
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Irving Nature Park's Taylor Island is a peninsula of volcanic rock and forest on the Bay of Fundy. The peninsula is swept daily by seawater with some of the highest tides in the world. The area nurtures one of New Brunswick's richest marine ecosystem.
The dark grey rocky shoreline is made up of basalt which was laid down by volcanic activity about 300 million years ago. There are also bands of purple-red siltstone created when lava flowed over and under the mud of an ancient sea floor. Some of these siltstone deposits have very eye-catching striations of quartz and form a beautiful contrast of colours with other stones.
Scratches in the rocks are a result of glaciers moving across these rocks during the last ice age. The scratches came from debris carried in the glaciers. When the glaciers melted, about 13,000 years ago, they left the rocks, mud and soil (till) that they had carried. Mounds of till are found along the rocky shoreline's banks. The mound wall, known as a berm, blocked the St. John River from flowing out to the sea and forced it to flow into the narrow rocky gorge that is now known as the Reversing Falls.
There is intense wave action on the ancient volcanic rocks and on the plants and organisms living along the shoreline of the Irving Nature Park. These waves are a result of the twice daily tides of the Bay of Fundy, which typically reach a height of 8.5 meters or 28 feet. Waves can be wild on this shoreline. During a typical storm the wave action on the seaweed fastened to the rocks can be compared to a 1,440 kph (900mph) wind on an oak tree!
Because of the height of the tides of the Bay of Fundy visitors can walk on the ocean floor at low tide and examine the tidal pools. Many marine creatures live in the tidal pools. These are some of the toughest living organisms in the park. They are subjected to frigid Bay water (approximately 5 degrees Centigrade) for six hours every day and then exposed to air temperatures ranging from 30 degrees Centigrade in summer to - 30 degrees Centigrade in winter.
The posted coordinates take you to a small pebble beach at the end of the Irving Nature Park, directly across the road from the parking area at N45.12.307, W 066.08.287. The pebble beach you are walking on is the result of glacial till deposited by the last glaciers to move through this area. To log this earthcache you must:
1. Post a photo of yourself (or your hand) and your GPS, showing the basalt and siltstone rocks behind you (You should have your back to the road - you are facing out to sea - with the rocks behind you when your picture is taken!).
2. To better appreciate the rocky cliffs, go back up the stairs and turn right on to the Heron Trail to N 45.12.289, W 066.08.231. You will find yourself on the basal cliffs, looking toward a cleft in the rock. Take a photo of the rocks on the other side of the cleft or small gorge.
3. Then, through our profile, answer the following question: Estimate the height of the basalt in the cliff at the first posted coordinates and discuss why you think the siltstone is found below the basalt.
In your email, please include the name of this earthcache and the number of people in your group. Do not answer the questions in your log, but do tell us why you enjoyed your visit to Irving Nature Park's Rocky Shore so that others might have the same experience. You must answer the questions
Although photos are optional, it is always nice to take and post photos so that other cachers can appreciate what you have enjoyed at this earthcache.
First to Find: ynds and #1camokid
For more information about the Irving Nature Park visit
www.new-brunswick.net/Saint_John/inp/
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