The earthcache:
This earthcache is close to the entrance to the Cape Chignecto Provincial Park. It is placed just inside the park with the permission of Nova Scotia Provincial Parks and with the knowledge of the local park staff. The best parking is at the park office (see waypoints) and it is possible to access the cache out of season.
To complete the cache you need to access the beach at a time when the tide is low. Care should be taken if the tide is rising - it is possible to get cut off along the beach here at high tide. You're on the Bay of Fundy here, so the tidal range is impressive and tides rise quickly.
Make yourself aware of tide times in advance and plan to visit an hour or two either side of low tide for the best experience - preferably when the tide is falling. Use common sense, take account of weather conditions and take reasonable precautions to protect your own safety and the safety of others.
The high tide will reach the Red Rocks and make walking along the beach impossible. For your own safety you'd be better off not trying to scramble over the rocks themselves. Please be aware that there are parts of the beach here where walkers can be cut off at high tide.
The Park:
Cape Chignecto Provincial Park is generally open from May to October each year. If you plan on venturing into the park itself on any of the hiking trails then you need to register at the park office. This is a wilderness area with a range of hazards, including rapidly eroding cliffs, offshore rip currents, tides that rise quickly as well as coyotes and bears. During winter the area is particularly remote and, although you will still be able to access the Red Rocks themselves, may be difficult to visit.
The Earth Science Lesson
The Red Rocks
The Red Rocks are an obvious landmark along the coastline. An outcrop of red sandstone, they mark the line of the Cobequid fault, part of the Minas Fault Zone. The sandstone is part of the Blomidon Formation and has clear layers, showing how it was formed by sedimentary processes.
The whole area of Cape Chignecto was impacted due to continental collisions millions of years ago. The rocks to the west of the Red Rocks have been crushed and folded due to pressure along the fault line while the sandstone of the Red Rocks themselves has been tilted by the impact.
The tilted nature of the rocks can be clearly seen by examining the layers. Sandstone is a sedimentary rock which formed when material was deposited in layers millions of years ago. Some layers are more resistant than others and the angle of tilt can be clearly seen in many places.
The sandstone is rather more resistant to coastal erosion than the surrounding rock and forms a prominent landmark along the coastline. There is clear evidence of coastal erosion processes and related features here - and that's the focus of this earth cache.
Coastal Processes:
The sea erodes the coast through a range of processes. The sheer force of water (termed hydraulic action or hydraulic pressure) causes erosion through the weight of water or by water being forced into cracks in the rock and the resultant pressure widening them, helping to break them apart. Weaknesses or bands of less resistant material in the rock will form cracks which can be widened to form caves.
At headlands (areas of coastline which jut out into the sea) this may lead to the formation of natural arches where caves break through the headland. Stacks may also be present - exposed columns of rock formed when the top of a natural arch collapses. At Cape Chignecto a fine example of stacks can be seen at the Three Sisters, best accessed from the Eatonville entrance (and a significant journey from the Red Rocks). Stacks will eventually collapse, leaving short, stubby columns of rock known as stumps.
Stones, sand and other material carried by waves also scour away at the coastline, acting like sandpaper where waves break. This process is known as corrasion or abrasion. Because waves break most frequently at the foot of a cliff this area is usually eroded most, forming an indentation called a wave cut notch. As the wave cut notch continues to be eroded the rock above it lacks support and will eventually collapse, leaving boulders at the foot of the cliff. These continue to be eroded by the same processes as well as by attrition - material on the beach hitting together as waves break, causing material to break apart and to wear down.
As cliff faces erode backwards the area of rock below the cliff face is sometimes left exposed as an area of flat rocks known as a wave cut platform. This area remains as the cliff line continues to be eroded and can form rock pools as weaker areas are eroded more quickly.
Your tasks:
To log this cache you must send an e-mail or message to me providing answers to the following questions. To e-mail me, click through to my user profile and then click the Send e-mail link. It will help if you tick the box that sends your e-mail address to me.
The e-mail or message should be sent before you log the cache. Feel free to write an online log once your e-mail has been sent - if there is a problem I may ask you to amend the log. Online logs where e-mail has not been sent will be deleted.
If you're starting at the suggesting parking coordinates, walk past the park office and down the hill, following signs to the beach. You should find the information board after a short stroll...
Question 1 - the information board (N 45 21.018 W 064 49.587 - waypoint 1)
Find the section on the information board that discusses the Cobequid fault. How many million years ago does the board say that the fault zone was formed during the movement of continents?
Walk down on to the beach and, assuming that the tide is low, around the Red Rocks and on to the next waypoint.
Question 2 - the cliffs (N 45 20.951 W 064 49.466 - waypoint 2)
Look at the tilted sandstone cliff directly inland from this point. Estimate the angle of tilt of the cliff - assuming that horizontal layers are 0 degrees tilted and vertical layers are 90 degrees tilted. You might want to walk close to the rocks to do this or take a photo and measure the angle at home!
Walking back towards the rocks will bring you to the final waypoint.
Question 3 - the beach features (N 45 20.979 W 064 49.586 - waypoint 3)
a) describe the feature(s) under your feet at this point and explain why they have formed in this way
b) describe one piece of evidence that you can see that shows that coastal erosion of the Red Rocks has taken place
c) which coastal erosion processes do you think have been most responsible for shaping the coastal landforms found at the Red Rocks?
Question 4 - the cape
In your online log (not in your e-mail to me), describe the view you have of Cape Chignecto (the headland to the west). Note that this will be dependent on the weather and the time of day!
If you would like to include a photograph of the view of the Cape or of the cliffs to the west then please do so - you may choose to be in any photos you post but this is entirely optional. Please try not to give away any answers to tasks 1 to 3 in your online log or in photographs you post.
Essentials:
- Cape Chignecto Provincial Park website - it may be a good idea to check for park advisory notices before visiting
- Tide times for West Advocate - as close to the Red Rocks as you can get
- The nearest services are available at Advocate Harbour, 4km to the east along Route 209. There are earthcaches at Joggins, 60km by road to the north, and at Cape d'Or 12km by road to the east, as well as a number of other geocaches in the Advocate Harbour area, including some remote caches within the Provincial Park.