Fort Point Pond EarthCache

Fort Point Pond

Fort Point Pond is a pond located just 3.7 miles from West LaHave, in Lunenburg County, in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. Fort Point sits at the mouth of the La Have River. The LaHave River is a 97 km (60 mi) river in Nova Scotia, Canada, running from its source in Annapolis County to the Atlantic Ocean. Along its way, it splits the communities of LaHave and Riverport and runs along the Fairhaven Peninsula and bisects the town of Bridgewater flowing into the LaHave River estuary. Tides affect water levels for about 20 km up the river.

Geology

A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. It may arise naturally in floodplains as part of a river system, or be a somewhat isolated depression (such as a kettle, vernal pool, or pothole).

Saltwater ponds can also be called marine ponds, Most salt water ponds lie at low points and they were filled as sea level rose following the last glaciation (Ice Age).

Glacial: By far the most important agents in the formation of lakes/ponds are the catastrophic effects of glacial ice movements that occurred 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. Gigantic sheets of ice and snow are created in climates where snow falls but does not melt. The glaciers covered an area from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains in ice that was more than a mile high. Although these glaciers did eventually melt, ten percent of the earth is presently covered with glaciers. When the glacier stops Sometimes, huge blocks of ice are broken off and covered by sand and gravel. When the ice melts, the sand and gravel cave in, leaving a large hole behind.

Marine ponds

Marine ponds are still connected to the sea through some sort of connection to the ocean and tides.  The degree of water exchange between the pond and the open sea when the tide rises and falls depends on the size of the connection and distance to the sea. Because of these variations, the environmental conditions in all saltwater ponds are different. Salt ponds have a range of temperature, salinity (saltiness), light, sediment in the water and inputs of plantkton and plant material. Also the depth of the pond, steepness of the sides, what type of material is on the bottom of the pond all influence what species are using the pond as habitat.

On the way in to visit this earthcache you will cross the drainage system of this pond which drains into the ocean. So with high tides this pond could be breached from both the east and the west with salt water making it a brackish pond. It is generally considered a brackish pond, as it receives significant saltwater input from tidal flooding and storms, but after heavy rain it becomes very fresh.

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 and width of the pond?

2. What does the water in the pond smell like and what is the colour of the water?

3. What is the elevation at ground zero?

4. 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.