Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 22, 2009 6:15:57 GMT -5
Normally, only the hardiest of fools would venture onto the Bay in late November, but we have had an unusual spell of warm weather this year. I did a really tough, but really rewarding beach haul at McKay Head yesterday. I pushed a little further up the beach than usual, to the next outcrop, and was pleasantly surprised at the variety I found at one collection site. Here are a few photos.
Wassons Bluff – Access to the beach starts at Wassons Bluff. A world famous dinosaur discovery was made here back in 1984. There are a few little guys here that span some of the missing record between the late Triassic and early Jurassic boundary. But we’re after agates today …
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/WassonsBluff.jpg)
Two Islands – This is Two Islands at sunrise, about 1 mile into our beach walk. I don’t want to tell you how early I had to start out this morning. You have to collect at low tide, and the low tide is one hour later every day. Working the rides adds another dimension to trip planning.
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/TwoIslands1.jpg)
Two Islands – Sun comes up quickly this time of year. We’re standing on the ocean floor. You can see the white barnacles on the bedrock. At high tide, we would be under about 30 feet of water.
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/TwoIslands2.jpg)
Contact Zone – This is a contact zone, about 2 miles into our beach walk. Two ancient landmasses were ripped apart from Pangea about 200 to 300 million years ago. They later slammed together as North America was being formed. The black rock (Jurassic basalt) contains the agates. The red rock (Carboniferous sandstone/shale) is just pretty to look at. Contact zones are prime collecting grounds for agates and numerous along this region of the Bay.
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/ContactZone.jpg)
The Haul – Although it was a 2-mile walk in and a 2-mile crawl out, all the rocks below were collected within about 100 yards of the contact zone above. There’s an incredible variety of colour for one location. I think of it as one-stop shopping. Most these agates are mossy, or plumy and semi-translucent when backlit.
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/McKayHead1-1.jpg)
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/McKayHead2-1.jpg)
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/McKayHead3.jpg)
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/McKayHead4.jpg)
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/McKayHead5.jpg)
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/McKayHead6.jpg)
I was too “beat out” to cut anything last night, but will post some slab photos soon. It seems the more you put into the pursuit, the greater the reward. Rock collecting mimics life. Hmmm … there’s a lesson in there somewhere. Enjoy!
Darryl.
Wassons Bluff – Access to the beach starts at Wassons Bluff. A world famous dinosaur discovery was made here back in 1984. There are a few little guys here that span some of the missing record between the late Triassic and early Jurassic boundary. But we’re after agates today …
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/WassonsBluff.jpg)
Two Islands – This is Two Islands at sunrise, about 1 mile into our beach walk. I don’t want to tell you how early I had to start out this morning. You have to collect at low tide, and the low tide is one hour later every day. Working the rides adds another dimension to trip planning.
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/TwoIslands1.jpg)
Two Islands – Sun comes up quickly this time of year. We’re standing on the ocean floor. You can see the white barnacles on the bedrock. At high tide, we would be under about 30 feet of water.
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/TwoIslands2.jpg)
Contact Zone – This is a contact zone, about 2 miles into our beach walk. Two ancient landmasses were ripped apart from Pangea about 200 to 300 million years ago. They later slammed together as North America was being formed. The black rock (Jurassic basalt) contains the agates. The red rock (Carboniferous sandstone/shale) is just pretty to look at. Contact zones are prime collecting grounds for agates and numerous along this region of the Bay.
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/ContactZone.jpg)
The Haul – Although it was a 2-mile walk in and a 2-mile crawl out, all the rocks below were collected within about 100 yards of the contact zone above. There’s an incredible variety of colour for one location. I think of it as one-stop shopping. Most these agates are mossy, or plumy and semi-translucent when backlit.
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/McKayHead1-1.jpg)
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/McKayHead2-1.jpg)
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/McKayHead3.jpg)
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/McKayHead4.jpg)
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/McKayHead5.jpg)
![](http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/150fromfundy/McKay%20Head/McKayHead6.jpg)
I was too “beat out” to cut anything last night, but will post some slab photos soon. It seems the more you put into the pursuit, the greater the reward. Rock collecting mimics life. Hmmm … there’s a lesson in there somewhere. Enjoy!
Darryl.