This cache is located along the shoreline of Connors Bros. Nature Preserve at Pea Point in Blacks Harbour, NB.
Every time I come for a hike down here, I notice these unique rock formations called conglomerates. According to geology.com, a conglomerate is “is a clastic sedimentary rock that contains large (greater than two millimeters in diameter) rounded clasts. The space between the clasts is generally filled with smaller particles and/or a chemical cement that binds the rock together.” Clasts are minerals or rock fragments that are sedimentary, metamorphic, or igneous in nature. Finer-sized particles of clay and silts are usually deposited afterwards and sift down through the gaps in the larger clasts, creating the matrix which binds the conglomerate together.
I encourage you to take a walk along the shoreline to see more examples of conglomerates in the area.
To log this earthcache, you will have to answer the following questions:
- One of the places to find conglomerates are beaches. What is the dominant process which likely transported and created the conglomerates you see in this area?
- For the conglomerates, there is a wide range of sizes of rocks within the matrix. Please provide a size estimate (length and width) of rocks in the conglomerate.
- Conglomerates are made up of clasts. Give me a common name one of the clasts you see here. For example, red sandstone, pink granite, slate, etc.
The Nature Trust of New Brunswick is a charitable land organization dedicated to the conservation of natural spaces within the province of New Brunswick. Since inception in 1987, they have conserved over 6,000 hectares within 40 nature preserves in the province. To find our more, visit www.naturetrust.nb.ca/wp
Information on the Nature Trust’s preserves, and others within the province, can also be found through ExploreEcoNB, a free app designed to connect people to conservation areas throughout the province, available on both Apple and Android.