Welcome to Tucker Park, owned and operated by the City of Saint John, NB and is accessible year round, free of charge. Pets are welcome when kept on a leach. If the gate is closed walk the road. If the gate is open drive to the parking lot and then walk the remainder. The walking trail will give you access to the rocks and views of the Kennebecasis (ken-a-ba-KAY-sis) Bay. Enjoy the beach as well. Swimming is at your own risk as there are no life guards. In winter do not walk on the ice. This is a great place for a picnic.
What is a rock formation? Geologists created a basic unit called a formation to enable them to classify and map layers of rock. A formation is a rock unit that is distinctive enough in appearance that a geologic mapper can tell it apart from the surrounding rock layers. It must also be thick enough and extensive enough to plot on a map. Formations are given names that include the geographic name of a permanent feature near the location where the rocks are well exposed. If the formation consists of a single or dominant rock type, such as shale or sandstone, then the rock type may be included in the name.
The rocks featured by this earthcache at Tucker Park are part of the distinctive red Kennebecasis Formation visible in outcrop. The formation was named for the Kennebecasis River. The Kennebecasis Foundation contains conglomerate and coarse grained sandstone. Conglomerate and sandstone are types of sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rock is formed from the consolidation of material such as gravel, sand or clay (sediment) derived from the weathering and breakdown of rocks. Eventually the weight of the material presses the sand and rock mix into a new rock. The large particles in conglomerate rock are called clasts. The smaller particles can be sand, mud or clay and are referred to as matrix, which binds the clasts together to form a large mass. The coarseness of the red conglomerate and sandstone of the Kennebecasis Formation suggests the environment in which the sediments were deposited was by fast flowing water, eroding the mountains that had been created as older terrains collided.
The Kennebecasis River runs for approximately 95 kilometers, draining an area in the Caledonia Highlands, an extension of the Appalachain Mountains, inland from the Bay of Fundy. The Kennebecasis Bay then flows into the Saint John River, which in turn empties into the Bay of Fundy. A discovered nearby of a vertebrate fossil belonging to a porolepiform fish (Holoptychius) suggests that the Kennebecasis Formation is late Devonian in age. That is to say this rock formation is about 370 million years old.
Conglomerate may be classified by: Texture- the percentage of matrix verses clasts Clast composition- the type or rock(s) from which the clasts originated Clast size- the measure of the dominate clast size Roundness- is the degree of smoothness due to abrasion of the clasts Sorting- is the degree to which clasts are the same size The table below shows the classification by clast size.
Granule conglomerate 2–4 mm
Pebble conglomerate 4–64 mm
Cobble conglomerate 64–256 mm
Boulder conglomerate >256 mm
Submit your answers by E-Mail before logging your find.
Logs submitted without emailing an answer will be Deleted.
If you are doing this earth cache as a group, each person logging a find must submit their own answers to each earth cache question.
1. Please use the above table to classify the clast size of the conglomerate at the posted coordinates. Is it granule, pebble, cobble or boulder conglomerate?
2. At the posted coordinates what is the diameter of the hole in the rock on the right?
3. What is the width of the sandy beach between the rock outcrops? (The sandy beach you passed on your way to the posted coordinates)
4. In your own words explain why you think there is less erosion of the conglomerate of the Kennebecasis Formation that the conglomerate at Hopewell Rocks in Albert Co., NB.
5. Post a picture in your log with a personal item or hand in picture to prove you were there.
[REQUIRED] In accordance with the updated guidelines from Geocaching Headquarters published in June 2019, photos are now an acceptable logging requirement and WILL BE REQUIRED TO LOG THIS CACHE. Please provide a photo of yourself or a personal item in the picture to prove you visited the site.
There is a location (not too far away at N45 17.945 W066 05.116) where you can see another spectacular example of these red Devonian rocks that have been exposed as the result of excavation along University Avenue. Free parking is available at N45 18.015 W066 05.000, then walk west a short distance to the rocks.
Would you like to create your own conglomerated rocks and at the same time have a tasty treat? If so here is the process.
How to make your own conglomerate --------Rocky Road
What you need • 500g good milk chocolate • A small bag of marshmallows, cut into halves • ½ cup shredded coconut • ½ cup pistachio kernels, chopped • A small bag of macadamia nut • ½ cup of dried cranberries • ½ cup of dried raisin • Greaseproof paper • A rectangular baking tray. • A bowl to melt the chocolate • A fridge • A stirring spoon or spatula
What to do:
1. In a bowl, break up chocolate into pieces, melt in microwave oven on high for approximately 40 seconds, stir, if still not fully melted microwave for another 20 seconds. You may need to heat for a little longer, making sure you keep stirring, chocolate can burn if unattended. You can also heat the chocolate on a stove top. Place the bowl on a saucepan of boiling water and stir until melted.
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients with the melted chocolate. Mix well. As you add each ingredient you may like to talk about what they represent (see below).
3. Pour mixture into a lined slice tin, press down gently.
4. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares.
5. As you eat the conglomerate rocky road try to identify the different pieces of sediment. • Chocolate - is the matrix that holds the sedimentary pieces together, usually sandstone or mudstone. • Dried cranberries and raisins- marine life that have been fossilised in the rock. • Shredded Coconut - plant life that has been trapped in the rock. If there are large amounts of fossilised plant life, coal will form. • Macadamia nuts, pistachio's and marshmallows - pebbles, minerals and other pieces of rock that have formed the new rock – conglomerate.