Panmure Island Tombolo EarthCache

Panmure Island Tombolo

Panmure Island Beach is a long white sandy beach shouldered by sweeping sand dunes and vast ocean views. Much-loved by locals and visitors alike, Panmure Island is truly a beach-lover’s paradise. Located along a Tomobolo causeway, there is water access on both sides of the highway. You’ll find the sheltered St. Mary’s Bay on one side and the ocean on the other. Neighboring this beautiful stretch of beach is the acclaimed Panmure Island Lighthouse, which is worthy of a postcard all on its own. It’s not only the oldest wooden lighthouse on the Island, it has an important legacy guiding vessels through Georgetown and Montague Harbours since 1853.

A tombolo, from the Italian tombolo, derived from the Latin tumulus, meaning 'mound', and sometimes translated as ayre, is a deposition landform in which an island is attached to the mainland by a narrow piece of land such as a spit or bar. Once attached, the island is then known as a tied island.

A true tombolo is formed by wave diffraction and refraction. Waves move toward the coastline and are slowed down as they enter the shallower water. They first reach the islands that are close to the shore. Because these waves are moving at a slower than normal pace, they move around the island instead of over it. As the water moves more slowly around the island, it picks up sediment along the way. When the waves meet on the other side of the island (the side facing the coast), the sediment is deposited. This sediment continues to build up until it creates the sandbar that connects the island to the beach.

Changing Tombolos

Because of the unique shape of tombolos, they tend to be more likely to change over time due to weathering and tides than the regular coastline. Sometimes, the island at the end of the bar, or spit, is large enough that it supports commercial or residential activity. In order to prevent changes to the tombolo, the bar is reinforced with cement roads or parking lots. This prevents wind and waves from washing away the finer sediment on top of the bar.

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. How high are the dunes at ground zero?

2. How long is the tombolo?

3. What is the width at the widest and narrowest of the tombolo?  

4. What is growing on the dunes?

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.