Just 17 kilometers from downtown Victoria, Goldstream Provincial Park lies amid the splendour of an old-growth temperate rain forest. There you can see a world class salmon-spawning stream with thousands of Chum Salmon returning between October and December. The Freeman King visitor centre is at the mouth of the river, overlooking the Goldstream estuary, nestled among giant black cottonwoods and red alder trees. The park is accessible year round. The Rainforest Coast of British Columbia encompasses the largest remaining intact temperate rainforest in the world.
Goldstream Park contains 477 hectares of diverse and important natural and cultural themes. The most evident being the annual salmon run as well as the estuary formed by Goldstream River. Plant life and wildlife depend on the preservation and conservation of this area. Goldstream’s numerous trails criss-cross through the dramatic and varying terrain. Trails range from easy, wheelchair accessible walks to strenuous hikes and track along creeks, through forested uplands and past abandoned gold diggings from the days of the Gold Rush. More adventurous hikers can climb to the top of one of the highest points in Greater Victoria – Mt Finlayson, a recent addition to the park in 1994. Another trail leads you to stunning Niagara Falls, which cascades 47.5 metres down a rock cliff into a crystal clear canyon pool below.
To claim this earthcache you must visit these Niagara Falls. Access is easiest when travelling south on Highway 1. There are no left turns when travelling north - you must proceed to a U-turn area. If the water level is low enough you can also access the falls by parking on the Goldstream side and going through the culvert. If it has been raining alot this is not recommended as the water can run high and fast through the culvert.
Goldstream Park lies within the Nanaimo Lowland, a physiographic lowland of the Georgia Depression. The depression is a structural feature separating the Insular Mountains of Vancouver Island to the west from the Coast Mountains to the east. It was a major pathway for Pleistocene Ice advances and its depressed nature was enhanced by ice erosion. Bedrock structures of Goldstream include rock types of various geological ages. The mountains had extreme deformation during and after their development including folding, faulting and volcanism as well as millions of years of erosion and glaciation. Several faults are found within the Goldstream area. North of the Leech River Fault mainly Mesozoic and Paleozoic rocks are found whereas south of the fault younger Tertiary rocks, mainly volcanics occur. The Leech River sediments (or schists) are widely spread over Goldstream. They're derived from sediments deposited up to 300 million years ago. They are usually quite flakey. Another common rock found here is Bonanza Volcanics (or Malahat volcanics) They are formed from large volcanic tuffs and flows in the Jurassic period. They tend to be dark green or maroon which weather to whitish hues. The schists and volcanics have been pressed together forming mineral occurrences such as quartz and calcite veins. This led to minor gold and copper mining in the area.
Finlayson Arm and the Goldstream Valley are probably structural in origin but ice erosion seems to have deepened and broadened these valleys into classic U-shaped valleys. Niagara Creek above Niagara Falls represents a hanging valley partially caused by ice erosion deepening it. Hanging valleys are the product of different rates of erosion between the main valley and the valleys that enter it along its sides. The floors of the tributary valleys are eroded and deepened at a slower rate than the floor of the main valley, so the difference between the depths of the two valleys steadily increases over time. The tributaries are left high above the main valley, hanging on the edges, their rivers and streams entering the main valley by either a series of small waterfalls or a single impressive fall.
While on the short path to the falls, take note of the vegetation and rock formations. At the coordinates notice your surroundings and answer the following questions. Please to not post the answers in your log.
1) What indications do you see that you are in a rainforest?
2) What indications do you see that this is a hanging valley?
3) Can you find bands of quartz along the pathway? What do these bands indicate?
4) Water can result in mechanical weathering and erosion of rock. Do you see any evidence of mechanical weathering and/or erosion at this location? Please describe what you see while answering this question.
Resources:
http://www.coolgeography.co.uk/GCSE/Year%2010/PhysicalWorld/Glacial%20Landforms/glacial_landforms.htm#Hanging_Valleyshttp://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/goldstream/http://www.coolgeography.co.uk/GCSE/Year%2010/PhysicalWorld/Glacial%20Landforms/glacial_landforms.htm#Hanging_Valleys
The Geology of Southern Vancouver Island by C.J. Yorath & H.W. Nasmith
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