Canaan Shale EarthCache

Canaan Shale

Canaan is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Kings County. It is between Exit 12 and Exit 13 off of Highway 101 between New Minas and Kentville. The highway cuts through a ridge of shale on the edge of Cannan. 

What is Shale?

Shale is any of a group of fine-grained, laminated sedimentary rocks consisting of silt- and clay-sized particles. Shale is the most abundant of the sedimentary rocks, accounting for roughly 70 percent of this rock type in the crust of the Earth. Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock that forms from the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles that we commonly call "mud." This composition places shale in a category of sedimentary rocks known as "mudstones." Shale is distinguished from other mudstones because it is fissile and laminated. "Laminated" means that the rock is made up of many thin layers. "Fissile" means that the rock readily splits into thin pieces along the laminations

Shales are often found with layers of sandstone or limestone. They typically form in environments where muds, silts, and other sediments were deposited by gentle transporting currents and became compacted, as, for example, the deep-ocean floor, basins of shallow seas, river floodplains, and playas. Most shale occur in extensive sheets several meters thick, though some develop in lenticular formations.

Shale characteristically consist of at least 30 percent clay minerals and substantial amounts of quartz. They also contain smaller quantities of carbonates, feldspars, iron oxides, fossils, and organic matter. Some organic-rich shale, called oil shale, contain kerogen (a chemically complex mixture of solid hydrocarbons derived from plant and animal matter) in large enough quantities to yield oil when subjected to intense heat.

Shale typically have a laminated structure and are fissile; i.e., they exhibit a tendency to split into thin layers that are usually parallel to the bedding-plane surface. Such physical properties as permeability and plasticity are largely dependent on the grain sizes of the constituent minerals. Shales’ colour is determined primarily by composition. In general, the higher the organic content of a shale, the darker its colour. The presence of hematite and limonite (hydrated ferric oxide) gives rise to reddish and purple colouring, while mineral components rich in ferrous iron impart blue, green, and black hues. Calcareous shales (those having a large percentage of calcite), on the other hand, are light gray or yellowish.

Uses of Shale

Some shale have special properties that make them important resources. Black shale contain organic material that sometimes breaks down to form natural gas or oil. Other types of shale can be crushed and mixed with water to produce clay that can be made into a variety of useful objects like bricks for houses and terra cotta pots.

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. What is the texture of the stone? 

2. Estimate the size of the shale deposit, length and width.

3. Looking at the color what do you think it is mixed with to get that colour?

4. At what degree does it stand relative to the horizon (dip)?

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.