Wonderstrand EarthCache
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A magnificent white sandy beach which stretches south and north of Cape Porcupine. This stretch of sand was known to the Vikings as the "Wonderstrand".
Between Packs Harbour and the entrance to Groswater Bay, a magnificent white sandy beach stretches south and north of Cape Porcupine. This stretch of beautiful sand was known to the Vikings as the "Wonderstrand". It is one of Newfoundland and Labrador's natural wonders and may be viewed from commercial freighters plying the Labrador coast or tour boat or private boat from Cartwright.
The normal shipping track is 10 km offshore from the southerly section (the Porcupine Strand), but less than 5 km from the North Strand. Global warming has being cited as a threat to the Porcupine Strand
The beach sand is derived from sand and gravel deposited inland in front of retreating glaciers many years ago. Black sand beds in the beach is being assessed for possible commercial production. If quantity and concentration are high enough, the valuable minerals could be extracted by placer mining methods, and the remaining sand replaced.
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of a body of water. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, or cobble.
Beaches often occur along coastal areas, where wave or current action deposits and reworks sediments.
There are several conspicuous parts to a beach, all of which relate to the processes that form and shape it. The part mostly above water (depending upon tide), and more or less actively influenced by the waves at some point in the tide, is termed the beach berm. The sand deposit may extend well inland from the berm crest, where there may be evidence of one or more older crests (the storm beach) resulting from very large storm waves and beyond the influence of the normal waves. These geomorphic features compose what is called the beach profile. The beach profile changes seasonally due to the change in wave energy experienced during summer and winter months
To log this Earthcache email the owner the answers to the following questions;
1) What is the approximate lenght of Wonderstrand?
2) How long ago was Wonderstrand formed?
3)What minerals are found in the black sand strings?
4) What minerals are found in Wonderstrand that have commercial value?
5) What is the length of the beach berm at this location?
5) What area might have been the likely source material?
6) What is the geology?
Finally post a picture of either you or your GPS in your hand with a part of Wonderstrand in the background.
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