Maritimes - Summer 2008

July 5 - 25, 2008

Day 11 - July 15: Five Islands, Springhill, Joggins, & Parrsboro: Wasson Bluff

The final part of the "Prosauropods a many" earth cache was to visit Wasson Bluff. We didn't find as many fossils as at Joggins, but there were some interesting minerals in the cliffs and among the rocks. The scenery was also beautiful.

From an interpretive sign by the path leading to Wasson Bluff:
"The fundy Basin is one of the most important fossil-rich deposits in the Western Hemisphere. In 1984, at Wasson Bluff, tracks of one of the world's oldest dinosaurs were found by collector Eldon George. Since then, some of the world's leading geologists have come to Wasson Bluff to investigate the dawn of the "Age of Dinosaurs".

In 1986, scientists collected more than 100,000 bones from this fossil depost belonging to ancestral crocodiles, lizards, sharks, fishes, and large and small dinosaurs.

This basalt headland is most noteworthy for its clear definition of strata on the cliff faces which show geological time. The boundary between the basalt, and the underlying red sandstone, corresponds with the twilight of the Triassic epoch and dawn of the Jurassic about 200 million years ago. During this period there was a mass extinction of nearly half of the existing species in the world.

Potassium/argon radiometry provides more precise dating of the transition from Triassic to Jurassic periods. Fossil bones found at this boundary are of small animals, less than 25 kg and of types that probably survived the extinction. This provides strong evidence for the theory that early mass extinctions were triggered by a colossal meteor collision with the Earth."

A view of the amazing cliffs along the Fundy shoreline.

The interpretive sign at Wasson Bluff which talks about the "Dawn of the Dinosaurs".

Wasson Bluff

Interesting formations of conglomerate in the bluffs.

Low tide at Wasson Bluff.

Algae formations on the rocks.

 
Pockets of crystal rocks within the bluffs.

Samantha was intrigued by the guy digging clams in the background... hmmm, I guess he didn't care about the sign warning people that the clams here are toxic due to pollution!

Samantha looking for fossils and minerals.

Beautiful scenery.

Panorama at Wasson Bluff.

[ click here to view larger version of panorama ]

[ back ]