Spitting South - No Offence, Eh? EarthCache
Spitting South - No Offence, Eh?
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-- THIS IS AN EARTHCACHE, PLEASE READ BELOW FOR LOGGING REQUIREMENTS --
Fish/Mosquito Point, on the southwestern tip of Pelee Island, is a 110-hectare Nature Reserve, and the Southernmost accessible* point in Canada. It is defined by gently rolling shallow-sand over a limestone plain typical of the Great Lakes lowlands, with excellent examples of a sandspit and dune system extending south into Lake Erie.
Pelee Island is the largest island in the Western Lake Erie Archipelago that extends from Ontario to Ohio and it supports some of the most ecologically significant areas in Canada. The island's unique ecosystems contain a number of rare animals and plants due to the island's location (latitude), geology (limestone alvar), and because it's an island on a large lake, meaning that it's ecosystem is rather isolated.
A narrow peninsula made of sand, called a "Spit" or "Sandspit", is created when 2 different currents interact and merge. In the case of Pelee Island, the Current from the West, is coming in contact with the Current from the North, and a lul in speed occurs. When this happens, the longshore current spreads out or dissipates. No longer able to carry the full load, much of the sediment and sand is dropped, called deposition. The submerged sand bar of sediment allows "longshore drift" or "littoral drift", to continue to move the sediments in the direction the waves are breaking, forming an above-water spit. Without the complementary process of littoral drift, the bar would not build above the surface of the waves becoming a spit and would instead be leveled off underwater.
Spits create a dead-zone from currents, in this case the Marsh on the Eastern side, which is important stopover for migrating birds, and a bird-watcher’s paradise. Black-crowned Night Herons and other birds frequent a lagoon, and shorebirds are numerous.
A live map of currents is available here
REQUIREMENTS:
DO NOT ENTER THE WATER - THERE ARE STRONG CURRENTS
If there are birds on the spit, please do not venture out (as they have likely stopped for a break after flying over lake Erie, and are pretty tired. Sit down, and enjoy they beach, and try and wait them out! - I will be lenient on requirement 1 if you post pictures of birds on the spit)
Follow the beach south as far as you can go - The distance will change depending on a variety of factors. Add the answer to #1 to the log, and email me the answers to #2, #3 and #4.
- Walk to the very Southern Tip. The tip location will change depending on a variety of factors (by potentially hundreds of meters). Post your Coordinates (AND OPTIONALLY A PICTURE) with the Log.
- Explain why you think the coordinates might be different then those posted
- Describe the difference in water turbulance between the east side and the west side of the spit.
- How does the soil type differ between the Proximal end of the tip, and the Distal end of the tip. Does this occur gradually or suddenly?
* - Middle Island is the southernmost point in Canada (4km South) - It is uninhabited, and access is prohibited unless permission has been granted by Parks Canada. Unless there is a rare visitor to the island, you will be the southernmost person in Canada while here!
** - The Spit CAN be unstable so please know how to swim in case it collapses (This has never happened as far as I am aware)
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)