Schooner Cove Cliff EarthCache
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Welcome to the Schooner Cove cliff. At GZ, you will find yourself comfortably positioned approximately 1/3 of the way up the largest coastal cliff in the St. Margaret's Bay area.
Dictionary.com defines a cliff as "a high steep face of a rock". In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them.
Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually formed by rock that is resistant to erosion and weathering. Sedimentary rocks are most likely to form sandstone, limestone, chalk, and dolomite. Igneous rocks, such as granite and basalt also often form cliffs.
An escarpment (or scarp) is a type of cliff, formed by the movement of a geologic fault, or a landslide. Most cliffs have some form of scree slope at their base. In arid areas or under high cliffs, these are generally exposed jumbles of fallen rock. In areas of higher moisture, a soil slope may obscure the talus. Many cliffs also feature tributary waterfalls or rock shelters. Sometimes a cliff peters out at the end of a ridge, with tea tables or other types of rock columns remaining.
Coastal erosion may lead to the formation of sea cliffs along a receding coastline. The Ordnance Survey distinguishes between cliffs (continuous line along the top edge with projections down the face) and outcrops (continuous lines along lower edge). (source Wikipedia)
The exposed cliff at Schooner Cove is visible from Highway 3, but is best viewed from the the rails to trails and, of course, Schooner Cove. If visiting the cliff after a rainfall, often the rocks will have trickling water washing down them; in the winter months-occasionally an ice wall will form over the cliff face. This area houses the highest exposed cliff around St. Margaret's Bay. Several other smaller cliffs exist between Hamonds Plains and the Atlantic, however with a base that essentially ends at the ocean, this one is unique for the area.
If you venture up the scree towards the top, be careful. This area is prone to having falling rocks, wash out from the natural waterflow, and a loose base of gravel. However, those who venture up, will be rewarded with finding a small cave on the face of the cliff.
Estimating the height of tall items: Wikihow has an article on how to make a a "clinometer" here which can be used to estimate vertical distances. Ehow.com also provides a protractor template here for those not equipped.
Composition of granite: Much of the Nova Scotia coastline is composed of granite. Granite was formed by slow-cooling magma under the earth's surface. As the magma cooled, crystals formed which collectively became granite; the rock which forms this cliff. Granite is composed of four main crystal types: quartz (the light crystals), feldspar (the bright pink crystals), mica (the dark crystals), and usually hornblende (another dark crystal). Different percentages of the crystals will cause the granite to appear white, near-black, reflective, gray or any scale in between.
Cliff Formation: Cliffs can be formed a number of ways.
- Erosion - If a rock face is near moving water, over time the water will wear away at the rock face. Areas where waves or running water constantly pound/run over against a rock face will also erode the rock, often in a scalloped shape conforming to the water movement.
- The Iceage (not the one with the pre-historic squirrel during the opening credits) - During the last ice age, land (as we know it today) was buried under thousands of feet of snow and ice (glaciers). As these glaciers melted and moved towards today's oceans, they picked up rocks as if they were grains of sand. Quick melting of the glacier deposited the rocks ocean-side in the form of cliffs.
- Geological Events - As the tectonic plated under the earth move and shift, the overlap each other pushing one up over the other. Similarly, cracks in the plates allow magma to reach the earth's surface (volcanos). As this magma hardens, sometimes cliffs are formed. Earthquakes and landslides can also cause cliffs to form.
Note that access to the trail system is prohibited between 11pm and 5am daily. In order to successfully log this cache, answer the following questions in a message to the cache owner. You do not need to wait for a reply in order to log, however logs that are made without an accompanying email will be deleted without warning. You are also encouraged, but not required, to upload pictures of the cliff from varying perspectives.
Task 1:
Now it's time to look silly. Using a clinometer, estimate the height of the cliff from the base of the trail.
- Use the man-made rock wall as your base, and a measure a specific distance away from the cliff.
- Using a piece of string, and your clinometer, eyeball the line from your measured location to the top of the cliff.
- Record the angle this line makes on your protractor.
- Calculate an estimated height to the top of the cliff using the following formula: height=(tangent of your angle) x (horizontal distance from the base of the cliff).
Task 2:
- Find a piece of the cliff (lots at the base near the trail) and estimate the percentage of light colored crystals in the granite which makes up this cliff.
Task 3: Using the information above, which method formed the Schooner Cove Cliff? Why do you think so?
Thanks for visiting our first Earthcache. More importantly, thanks to Plasma Boy for helping us with creating our first Earthcache.
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Association of Nova Scotia Geocaching
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Lbh pna'g zvff vg.
Treasures
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