Lava Flows at Scots Bay EarthCache

Bay of Fundy Lava Flows

Scott's Bay, also spelled "Scots Bay", is a community in the province of Nova Scotia, located in Kings County.  It is home to Cape Split, a renowned hiking trail, cliffs, and Provincial Nature Preserve. Some of the world's highest tides, with a tidal difference of up to 44 feet, occur there. This is due to being directly connected to the Bay of Fundy. The beach and cliff sides are known for semi-precious gemstones, primarily varieties of agate, quartz, and amethyst. These stones can be found lying on the surface of the pebble beach. Rock collectors, hikers and climbers make up a significant portion of the area's annual tourism, estimated at total of 40,000 visitors per year.  This section of the shore line is known for the large lava flows.

Geology And Landscape Development

About 200 million years ago the Atlantic Ocean began to form as the continents drifted apart. The North Mountain basalt is an immense lava flow sequence that covers most of the Fundy basin. It was formed roughly at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary. At the time of the eruptions, the Atlantic Ocean didn't exist, and Africa and North America were joined as part of a big continent known as Pangaea. Over 600,000 years, the eruptions in an area known as the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province, deposited roughly 10 million cubic kilometres of lava.

Climate and Geography During the Triassic Period

During the Triassic period, all of the Earth's continents were joined together into a vast, north-south landmass called Pangaea (which was itself surrounded by the enormous ocean Panthalassa). There were no polar ice caps, and the climate at the equator was hot and dry, punctuated by violent monsoons. Some estimates put the average air temperature across most of the continent at well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Conditions were wetter in the north (the part of Pangaea corresponding to modern-day Eurasia) and the south (Australia and Antarctica).

Geography and Climate During the Jurassic Period

The Jurassic period witnessed the breakup of the Pangaean supercontinent into two big pieces, Gondwana in the south (corresponding to modern-day Africa, South America, Australia, and Antarctica) and Laurasia in the north (Eurasia and North America). At about the same time, intra-continental lakes and rivers formed that opened new evolutionary niches for aquatic and terrestrial life. The climate was hot and humid, with steady rainfall, ideal conditions for the explosive spread of lush, green plants.

Scotts Bay Lava Flows

This lava flow in the Bay of Fundy along here is one of the largest flows on the earth and quite capable of producing poisonous gases that affect the Earth's environment in an eruption. The ridge is composed of several basaltic lava flows which dip northwest towards the Bay of Fundy at a shallow angle. They form the southern rim of a tilted spoon-shaped trough which underlies the bay. The rounded up-tilted eastern side of the trough can be seen in the curve of Scots Bay.

Basalt is usually grey to black in colour, but rapidly weathers to brown or rust-red due to oxidation of its mafic (iron-rich) minerals into hematite and other iron oxides and hydroxides. Although usually characterized as "dark", basaltic rocks exhibit a wide range of shading due to regional geochemical processes.

In general it is hard but it can range from vesicular and mineral rich to columnar and mineral poor. Distinct lava flows are visible in the cliffs from the beach at many locations. While molten, gas bubbles migrated to the tops of these flows and were later lined with the various zeolites. The number of bubbles can be quite large, making the basalt crumbly at times, although larger bubbles that produce good specimens are more difficult to find. This mineralized basalt at the top of a flow erodes more quickly than the bottom of the flow above it.

The number of flows varies along the length of the ridge. The total thickness has been estimated at 300 m. Layers of green grit are found between the flows. These represent the weathered surface of the underlying flow and are easier targets for erosion than the massive flows; thus the basalt pile appears banded. Basalt lava flows exhibit interesting features that reflect their volcanic origins:

Trail Head

At the location N45° 18.607' W64° 24.506'  you can go down a steep trail and walk on the lava rock. The flat, undulating lava extends for 500m or more up the coast.

To log this Earthcache visit the viewing location. Please answer the following questions and send in a timely manner to my geocaching profile or email. Answers not received will result in deleted logs. You can use the cemetery roads.

1. Length of lava flow along road between  current location and N45° 18.607' W64° 24.506' ?  

2. ​What direction was the lava flowing?

3. ​What colour is the lava? 

4. Describe the texture/appearance of the lava rock?

5. Post a picture of the lava flow or water.

[REQUIRED] In accordance with the updated guidelines from Geocaching Headquarters published in June 2019, photos are now an acceptable logging requirement and WILL BE REQUIRED TO LOG THIS CACHE. Please provide a photo of yourself or a personal item in the picture to prove you visited the site.