Tickle Me Canso EarthCache

Tickle Me Canso

Canso is a community in Guysborough County, on the north-eastern tip of mainland Nova Scotia, next to Chedabucto Bay. Nickname: Oldest Fishing Port on Mainland North America.

Canso Harbour is protected by the Canso Islands, a small archipelago lying immediately north and east of the mainland, with Durell Island (named after Philip Durell), Piscataqui Island, George Island, and Grassy Island being the largest.

The islands were designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1925 due to their role as an important fishing base for the French in the 16th century and the British during the 18th century, and as the staging point for the 1745 expedition against Louisbourg.

What is a Tickle?

In Newfoundland English, a tickle is defined as: “A narrow salt-water strait, as in an entrance to a harbour or between islands or other land masses, often difficult or treacherous to navigate because of narrowness and tides.  It connects two large bodies of water and is formed naturally whereas canals are built by people.

The tickle separates Durell Island and the mainland. Durrells Island is connected by a one lane bridge which had a collapse and stranded people living on Durell island until it could be replaced. This is a view across the tickle looking at Durell Island.

How is a Strait/Tickle formed?

A strait is a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water. It may be formed by a fracture in an isthmus, a narrow body of land that connects two bodies of water. Tectonic shifts can lead to straits. If fractures in an isthmus are created by human activity, then they are not straits but are called canals. A strait can also be formed by a body of water overflowing land that has subsided or has been eroded.

Geology 

The coastline surrounding Canso, as well as Durell Island, are composed of Cambrian-Ordovician metamorphosed sedimentary rocks. Today, in some places, the sedimentary beds are nearly vertical.  Cambrian Period, earliest time division of the Paleozoic Era, extending from 538.8 million to 485.4 million years ago.

The Minas Fault Zone line runs through the Canso and Durrell Island area. The Minas fault system is an ENE-WSW trending transpressional boundary between the Appalachian Meguma and Avalon tectono-stratigraphic terranes of Nova Scotia, Canada

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.

Ref East = N 45° 20.373′ W 60° 59.891′; Ref West = N 45° 20.679′ W 61° 01.799′

Questions:

1. How long is the Tickle?

East = Ground Zero to Ref East

West = Ground Zero to Ref West

Total length = East + West

2. How wide is the Tickle at Ground Zero?

3. Would tides have an effect on travel along the tickle by boat?

4. How did the Tickle form (fracture, tectonic plate, erosion and Why?

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.