Souris Beach a Sand Spit EarthCache

Souris Beach a Sand Spit

Souris is a Canadian town located in Kings County, Prince Edward Island. It is situated near the northeastern tip of the province. Souris was founded by Acadians in 1727 as a fishing settlement at the mouth of the Souris River. These early settlers experienced several plagues of field mice in the surrounding area during the 1720s-1760s (the name is French for "mouse").

Since the 1960s, Souris has hosted an interprovincial ferry terminal for the service to Quebec's Magdalen Islands. The town has many well-preserved historical buildings, including the Matthew and MacLean Building, Souris Customs House and Post Office, and the McQuaid Building.

Spits are formed where the prevailing wind blows at an angle to the coastline. It develops in places where re-entrance occurs, such as at a cove's headlands, by the process of longshore drift by offshore currents. Spits are also created by deposition. A spit forms when the material is deposited by either process

Over time, the spit grows and may develop a hook if wind directions changes further out. Waves cannot get past a spit, which creates a sheltered area where silt is deposited and mud flats or salt marshes form.

Longshore Drift

Where there is a break in the coastline and a slight drop in energy, longshore drift will deposit material at a faster rate than it can be removed and gradually a ridge is built up, projecting outwards into the sea. This will cause more deposits over time.

On the spit itself, sand dunes often form and salt-loving vegetation colonies. Water becomes trapped behind the spit, creating a low energy zone, as the water begins to stagnate, mud and marshland often begins to colonise behind the spit; spits may continue to grow until deposition can no longer occur, for example due to increased depth, or the spit begins to cross the mouth of a river and the water removes the material faster than it can deposited - preventing further build up.

In this case the Souris river removes the material faster than it can be deposited to prevent closing off the river. While here note the colour of the sand on the beach side.

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.

1. Is there any grass present on the dune?

2. How much higher is the elevation of the dune/road over the tide line?

3. Describe the colour and composition of the sand?

4. Will the spit get longer, wider or close of the river over time?

5. Post a picture of the area. [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.