Kespoogwit; End of the Earth EarthCache

Kespoogwit; End of the Earth

Cape Forchu original residents, the Mi'kmaq, referred to the Cape as "Kespoogwit', meaning "the end of the earth". The Cape has been welcoming visitors since 1604, when Samuel de Champlain landed and named the area "Cap Forchu", meaning forked tongue of land. He brought the first Europeans (French Acadians) to make a settlement on these shores. New England Planters settled at what is now the town of Yarmouth in 1759; the grantees were from Yarmouth, Massachusetts and they requested that Yarmouth be named after their former home. The town name was changed but the cape is still called Forchu.

By 1878, Yarmouth was at its peak and was the second largest port of registry in Canada. Cape Forchu Lighthouse is the Beacon to Canada and today Cape Forchu Lighthouse is a significant tourism draw. The light itself, its 19 acres of well-groomed grounds, the view of Yarmouth's working harbour and the drive to the Cape through the very heart of an active fishing community, are all emblematic of Nova Scotia's coastal heritage.

The Yarmouth shoreline is thought to have been discovered in 1007 by Leif Ericson, son of Eric the Red. Eric the Red was responsible for the first European settlement in the new world in Iceland. The Yarmouth County Museum has a four-pound stone discovered at Cape Forchu which is believed to translate to " Leif to Eric Raises ". The authenticity of this "Runic Stone", discovered in 1812 by Dr. Richard Fletcher, cannot be completely confirmed because in the 1930 's Rev. Gordon T. Lewis had the markings re-chiselled to make them more prominent; in doing so he made it impossible to make an accurate dating. Substance is added to the claim that the "Runic Stone" is an original because foundations of Norse houses were found ten kilometers outside of Yarmouth in Tusket.

Geology

At Cape Forchu there is an outcrop of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana. The ancient volcanoes erupt over 400 millions years ago during the Silurian and early Devonian periods. During that time an ancient ocean sea narrowed and southern Nova Scotia, which was under the ocean, emerged to sea level. For more information on the geology see earthcaches GC9GGW0, The White Rock Formation of Yarmouth, and GC11K5K, Cape Forchu Earthcache.

The surface of the islands is a stony sandy matrix of material derived from local bedrocks. The tills were deposited by at least four ice advances from 75 to 10,000 years ago that covered Nova Scotia (Wisconsinan Glacial Stage). The material was formed from grinding under moving ice and released from the base of an ice sheet during melting.

Sound

A sound generally connotes a protected anchorage. It can be formed by the seas flooding a river or glacier valley. This produces a long inlet where the sloping valley hillsides descend to sea-level and continue beneath the water to form a sloping sea floor. Sometimes a sound is produced by a glacier carving out a valley on a coast then receding, or the sea invading a glacier valley. The glacier produces a sound that often has steep, near vertical sides that extend deep under water. The seafloor is often flat and deeper at the landward end than the seaward end, due to glacial moraine deposits.

Barrier Islands

They are generally separated from the mainland by tidal creeks, bays, and lagoons. Beaches and sand dune systems form on the side of the island facing the ocean; the side facing the shore often contains marshes, tidal flats, and maritime forests. These areas are important habitats for seabirds, fish and shellfish, and nesting sea turtles.

Spits to Tombolo

A Spit is a long, narrow ridge of deposited materials that extends from the mainland into the sea. When the spit is connected the island to the mainland to form a feature is called the Tombolos.

The long shore drift transports materials along the coast. If there is a sudden change in the direction of the coast, the longshore drift continues to transport the materials in the original direction to the deep sea. As the longshore drift enters the deep water, the materials are deposited. Over time, these materials accumulate above the water to form a spit.

The spit continues to grow with the continuous deposition of materials. It may develop a hook on the end if wind direction changes as it grows further from shore. Waves cannot get past a spit, which creates a sheltered area where silt is deposited and mud flats or salt marshes form.

If the spit extends to join a nearby island to the mainland it has formed a tombolo. A tombol is a sandy isthmus that forms to make an island become attached to the mainland by a narrow piece of land (spit and/or bar). Several islands tied together by bars (spits) which rise above the water levels are called tombolo clusters.

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.

Visit all the viewing sites to answer the questions

1. At Harbour view (N43° 49.135' W066° 08.566'), how wide is the sound to Yarmouth (N43° 49.405' W66° 07.486')?

2. Will the sound fill in? Explain why?

3. From ground zero (N43° 48.183' W066° 09.127'), how long is the Short tombolo (N43° 48.243' W066° 08.934')

4. From ground zero (N43° 48.183' W066° 09.127'), how long is the Long tombolo (N43° 48.299' W066° 09.460'')?

5. How long is the North spit (N43° 49.124' W066° 08.846'), to the bridge?

6. How long is the South spit (N43° 48.917' W066° 09.476') to the bridge?

7. Why did these spits not join to form a tombolo?

8. 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.