Leonardville Harbour Sandbar to Barrier Island EarthCache

Leonardville Harbour Sandbar to Barrier Island

Deer Island is the smallest of the Fundy Isles. It lies in Passamaquoddy Bay between the province of New Brunswick and the state of Maine. Numerous fishing villages dot the Deer Island coast - home to the herring, lobster and salmon fishery that are the mainstays of the island economy.   Deer Island is a naturalist's paradise, bountiful with coastal vistas, woodland and beach walks, and marine and bird life.

Bar Island is  a small island near Deer Island in Leonardville. There is limited access at low tide, and 2.5 hours before and after. Leonardville harbour is protected by the Island to make a natural harbour. When the tide is low a sandbar is exposed that allows you to drive or walk to the island.

Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune systems that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen.

They are subject to change during storms and other action, but absorb energy and protect the coastlines and create areas of protected waters where wetlands may flourish. A barrier chain may extend uninterrupted for over a hundred kilometers, excepting the tidal inlets that separate the islands. 

The length and width of barriers and overall morphology of barrier coasts are related to parameters including tidal range, wave energy, sediment supply, sea-level trends, and basement controls. The amount of vegetation on the barrier has a large impact on the height and evolution of the island.

Sand bar or spit

A spit is a stretch of sand or shingle extending from the mainland out to sea. They develop where there is a sudden change in the shape of the coastline, such as at a headland. Normally, longshore drift transports beach sediment along a coastline. When the shape of the coastline changes substantially however, longshore drift continues to transport material in the same direction rather than following the coastline. This transports the material out to sea. As the strength of the drift weakens away from the coastline, the sediment is deposited. Deposition can be brought about earlier near estuaries. The flow of water into the sea at an estuary is stronger than the drift, forcing the sediment to be deposited.

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.

Questions:

1. What is the length of the sandbar/distance to barrier island?

2. How does the barrier island help make this a good harbour?

3. What is the elevation at ground zero, where the sandbar starts?

4. Could you see or walk on the sandbar while you were here?

5. Post a picture in your log with a personal item or hand in picture to prove you were there.

[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.