Post by 150FromFundy on May 3, 2009 5:41:27 GMT -5
Well it was a “lickless” day on the beach. For those of you that are not avid rockhounds, “lickless” is our way of saying it was raining. No need to lick rocks.
The area I wanted to collect from required about a mile of walking to get to the basalt headlands, but the view was nice, even under overcast skies.
Photo 1 – McCoy Brook Formation
The McCoy Brook formation (early Jurassic) dominates the shoreline to the basalt headlands. You can see where the red sandstone has been uplifted. The once horizontal layers are pitched at about 30o.
Photo 2 – McKay Head in the Distance
The Bay of Fundy tides are essentially Mother Nature’s rock tumbler. The beach is littered with a myriad of semi-rounded cobbles and boulders from everywhere that get stirred up twice a day.
Photo 3 – McKay Head in the Distance
A closer view of the basalt headlands and the beach rock. The hard part of the walk there is not collecting to much beach rock on the way to getting what you are really after.
Photo 4 – McKay Head Contact Zone
As you approach McKay Head you can see the contact zone between the red sandstone of the McCoy Brook formation (early Jurassic) and the basalt of the North Mountain formation (late Jurassic).
Photo 5 – McKay Head Contact Zone
Contact zones are excellent collecting locations especially if there has been faulting which usually provides some interesting metamorphic rocks along the contact.
Photo 6 – McKay Head Basalt Rubble
At the headlands, the semi-rounded cobbles and boulders have been replaced by jagged and angular basalt. Hard on the boots.
Photo 7 – McKay Head Basalt Columns
There’s a nice section of basalt columns in the cliff face. This material is continually eroding off the cliff face forming the rubble piles at the base of the cliffs. Fresh rock falls mean fresh material for collecting, but watch for falling rocks.
Photo 8 – McKay Head - The Score
I managed to manoeuvre a wheel barrel down the beach to the point of hitting the basalt rubble allowing me to collect a little more than the usual bucket. There’s about 200 pieces of various size and material.
Photo 9 – McKay Head – The Score
A mixture of agate, jasper, jasper/agate combos, agatized jasper, crystalline rhyolite, banded rhyolite, zeolites, and granitic rocks.
Time for morning coffee and a session on the tile saw. I will post mini-slab photos shortly. Hope you are enjoying the location photos.
150FromFundy
The area I wanted to collect from required about a mile of walking to get to the basalt headlands, but the view was nice, even under overcast skies.
Photo 1 – McCoy Brook Formation
The McCoy Brook formation (early Jurassic) dominates the shoreline to the basalt headlands. You can see where the red sandstone has been uplifted. The once horizontal layers are pitched at about 30o.
Photo 2 – McKay Head in the Distance
The Bay of Fundy tides are essentially Mother Nature’s rock tumbler. The beach is littered with a myriad of semi-rounded cobbles and boulders from everywhere that get stirred up twice a day.
Photo 3 – McKay Head in the Distance
A closer view of the basalt headlands and the beach rock. The hard part of the walk there is not collecting to much beach rock on the way to getting what you are really after.
Photo 4 – McKay Head Contact Zone
As you approach McKay Head you can see the contact zone between the red sandstone of the McCoy Brook formation (early Jurassic) and the basalt of the North Mountain formation (late Jurassic).
Photo 5 – McKay Head Contact Zone
Contact zones are excellent collecting locations especially if there has been faulting which usually provides some interesting metamorphic rocks along the contact.
Photo 6 – McKay Head Basalt Rubble
At the headlands, the semi-rounded cobbles and boulders have been replaced by jagged and angular basalt. Hard on the boots.
Photo 7 – McKay Head Basalt Columns
There’s a nice section of basalt columns in the cliff face. This material is continually eroding off the cliff face forming the rubble piles at the base of the cliffs. Fresh rock falls mean fresh material for collecting, but watch for falling rocks.
Photo 8 – McKay Head - The Score
I managed to manoeuvre a wheel barrel down the beach to the point of hitting the basalt rubble allowing me to collect a little more than the usual bucket. There’s about 200 pieces of various size and material.
Photo 9 – McKay Head – The Score
A mixture of agate, jasper, jasper/agate combos, agatized jasper, crystalline rhyolite, banded rhyolite, zeolites, and granitic rocks.
Time for morning coffee and a session on the tile saw. I will post mini-slab photos shortly. Hope you are enjoying the location photos.
150FromFundy