Nova Scotia, a Peninsula EarthCache

Nova Scotia, a Peninsula

Nova Scotia is a province in eastern Canada, with Nova Scotia being Latin for "New Scotland". The land that comprises what is now Nova Scotia has been inhabited by the indigenous Miꞌkmaq people for thousands of years. France's first settlement in North America, Port-Royal, was established in 1605 and intermittently served in various locations as the capital of the French colony of Acadia for over a hundred years. The maximum distance from the ocean is 67 kilometers.

The Peninsula

The Nova Scotia peninsula is part of the province of Nova Scotia, and is connected to the neighbouring province of New Brunswick through the Isthmus of Chignecto. It fronts the open Atlantic Ocean on the south and southeast, the Gulf of Maine to the west, the Bay of Fundy and its sub-basins to the northwest, the Northumberland Strait to the north, and the Strait of Canso to the east.

Definition of a Peninsula

Peninsula Land forms Have 2 Main Characteristics:

1. Land that extends beyond the mainland

2. Has water on 3 sides; The surrounding water is usually understood to be continuous,

How is a Peninsula formed?

They can be formed by rising or falling sea level that may expose or cover portions of land to form a peninsula. An uplift or fall of landmass may also help to form a peninsula. A separation of landmasses over millions of years can create a peninsula.

How Large is a Peninsula?

A small peninsula may be a few miles long, or more. A very large peninsula may be hundreds of miles in length and width. A peninsula can be found on a seacoast. A lake or any large body of water may have a peninsula on the coastline.

Geology

The Nova Scotia peninsula can be divided into two distinct geological regions north and south of a fault line (the Cobequid and Chedabucto faults) extending between the Bay of Fundy sub-basins of the Minas Basin and Cobequid Bay in the west, through to Chedabucto Bay in the east.

The geological history of the province spans more than 1.2 billion years. Continental drift led to the southern half of the province's mainland portion, the Meguma terrane, once being attached to Africa whereas the Avalon terrane comprising the northern half, including Cape Breton Island, was once attached to Scandinavia and Scotland.

Nova Scotia Peninsula Terranes (not Terrain)

>The peninsula of Nova Scotia was formed by the slamming together of two terrane’s; the Avalon and the Meguma. The Meguma terrane is joined to the Avalon terrane along the Minas Fault Zone, which runs east-west from Chedabucto Bay to Cobequid Bay.

Avalonia terrane was a microcontinent in the Paleozoic era. Crustal fragments of this former microcontinent underlie south-west Great Britain, southern Ireland, and the eastern coast of North America. Avalonia developed as a volcanic arc on the northern margin of Gondwana. It eventually rifted off, becoming a drifting microcontinent. In Canada, Avalonia comprises the Avalon Peninsula of southeast Newfoundland, southern New Brunswick, part of Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

The Meguma terrane, also known as Megumia, is a terrane that became joined to the present North American landmass as part of the Appalachian orogeny. The Meguma Group is intruded by numerous Devonian and Carboniferous plutons. The Alleghanian orogeny or Appalachian orogeny is one of the geological mountain-forming events that formed the Appalachian Mountains and Allegheny Mountains. The Alleghanian orogeny occurred approximately 325 million to 260 million years ago over at least five deformation events (stress and strain)  in the Carboniferous to Permian period. The orogeny was caused by Africa colliding with North America. 

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. How do you know this is a peninsula?

2. Name the bodies of water that surround the peninsula (5 of them)?

3. At each Ref site (A,B,C,D), how far are you from the Atlantic Ocean at N44° 32.305' W63° 32.645' (Ref E)

4.Visit N45° 40.530' W62° 42.756' (Ref A), name at least two geo-features south of the reference point?

5. Visit N45° 34.949' W62° 47.677' (Ref B), name at least two geo-features you see?

6. Visit N45° 20.709' W63° 24.373' (Ref C), name at least two geo-features you see?

7. Visit N45° 15.032' W63° 27.572' (Ref D), name at least two geo-features you see?

8. Post a picture in your log with a personal item or hand in picture to prove you were there. More than one picture is welcome after all Nova Scotia is beautiful.

[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.