Port Hilford Coastal Lagoon EarthCache

Port Hilford Lagoon

Port Hilford is a small community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the Municipality of the District of Saint Mary's in Guysborough County. It was the birthplace of Wilf Carter. The place, Port Hilford, formerly named Indian Harbour, is located at the head of Indian Harbour Bay and at the south end of Indian Harbour Lake. At the head of the lagoon is Port Hilford beach.

Taking its name from the Township of Guysborough, which was named in honour of Sir Guy Carleton, Guysborough County was created when Sydney County (Antigonish County) was divided in 1836. In 1840, Guysborough County was subdivided into two districts for court sessisonal purposes – Guysborough and St. Mary's.

How Lagoons form?

There are two types of lagoons: atoll and coastal. Atoll lagoons form when an island completely subsides beneath the water, leaving a ring of coral that continues to grow upwards. At the center of the ring is a body of water that is often deep. The combination of coral growth and water creates a lagoon. It may take as long as 300,000 years for an atoll formation to occur.

Coastal lagoons form along gently sloping coasts. They form in areas with small tidal ranges. They are generally shallower than atoll lagoons and tend to be separated from the ocean by an island, reef, or sand bank. Most of the time, coastal lagoons are connected to the ocean by an inlet. Port Hilford Lagoon has two sand bars that contribute to the formation of the Lagoon. 

What is a Sandbar?

A sandbar is an area of sand, gravel or fine sediment that sits above the water. It may be connected to the shoreline, or it may be offshore. It is generally narrow and straight. A sandbar is also known as a shoal or sandbank. A large sandbar is called a barrier island.

Sandbars begin forming underwater. As waves break, this pulls material from the shoreline, migrating further into the ocean. During heavy storms, large waves can build sandbars far from shore, until they rise above the water’s surface. Sandbars generally form in a straight line. 

The swirling turbulence of waves breaking off a beach excavates a trough in the sandy bottom. Some of this sand is carried forward onto the beach and the rest is deposited on the offshore flank of the trough. Sand suspended in the backwash and in rip currents adds to the bar, as does some sand moving shoreward from deeper water.

To log this Earthcache visit GZ and the the viewing location (reference 01).  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. Estimate the length and width of the sand spit (beach)?

2.  Estimate the width and length of the lagoon?

3. What is on the north side of the road that crosses the sandbar? ( Reference Point 01)

4. What naturally occuring feature is likely to prevent the spit from completely closing in? (The feature that required an attribute)

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.