460 Bays
| Geology | Fresh Water | Soils | Plants | Animals Scenic Quality | Cultural Environment | Sites of Interest Topics & Habitats |
This District has two subdivisions:
(a) Mahone Bay
(b) St. Margarets Bay
Geology and Landscape Development
St. Margarets Bay and Mahone Bay are ancient landscape features that
were formed during a period of rapid erosion before the Carboniferous.
During the Middle Carboniferous, an extension of the Carboniferous sea
transgressed this part of the old erosion surface and deposited limestone
and evaporites. Most of these strata have now been eroded away, and
only a fringe is left around the margins of the two bays. Granite is the
dominant rock-type in this District, with slate forming a series of
peninsulas on the west side of Mahone Bay.
The slates tend to be covered by fairly deep surficial deposits in the form of glacial tills and drumlins. The drumlin swarms continue into the sea, particularly in Mahone Bay where they form islands called "whalebacks" (see Figure 14). These have been extensively eroded by the sea in recent times to form shoals, spits, and bars. Finer sediment is deposited in small salt-marshes in the low-energy environments at the heads of the bays. Small, sandy pocket beaches are present on exposed coasts at the bay heads, but deep water inland of sills at the bay entrances has prevented the rising sea level from moving nearshore sand deposits onto the present coastline.
A coastal lowland that developed on Carboniferous rocks around the bays is abruptly terminated by the steep-sloping granite inland. On the Aspotogan Peninsula, which separates Mahone Bay from St. Margarets Bay, the till is very thin as a result of the scarcity of softer Carboniferous rocks.
Fresh Water
Several large rivers drain into this Unit, for example, the Gold River in
sub-District 460a and the Ingram River in sub-District 460b. The levels
of pH in these rivers ranges between 4.7 and 5.4.
Soils
Mahone Bay (sub-District 460a)
The soils around Mahone Bay are mostly derived from granite, quartzite,
and slate, with some Carboniferous material. Upper Blandford to East
Chester is mostly Gibraltar soil with areas of exposed bedrock. Chester
Peninsula, including the islands, is mostly Bridgewater soil (sandy loam
derived from slate). The remaining soils are a mixture of Bridgewater,
imperfectly drained Danesville in flatter areas, well-drained and coarse
-textured Farmville (derived from a mixture of granite, quartzite, and
slate), and Wolfville loams. A number of drumlins are mantled by either
Farmville or Wolfville soils. Most of the islands are Wolfville drumlins.
St. Margarets Bay (sub-District 460b)
St. Margarets Bay shows less variety of soil types than Mahone Bay.
Gibraltar predominates, with Rockland areas and a few small patches of
Wolfville soil.
Plants
The vegetation around both bays has been extensively disturbed and is
essentially a modified version of the coastal forest - mainly conifers, with
Red Spruce, White Spruce, and Balsam Fir.
Animals
The western shore of Mahone Bay, including the islands, has local
importance for waterfowl and shorebirds. Waterfowl found at various
times from spring through early winter include Black Duck, Common
Goldeneye, Oldsquaw, Scoter, and Red-necked Grebe. The Osprey is a
common nesting bird on islands in this area. Rainbow Smelt and American
Eel are common.
Scenic Quality
St. Margarets Bay and Mahone Bay differ visually as a result of bedrock
and glacial deposits, but both provide a wealth of beautiful scenes, some
panoramic, some intimate. Scenic value is provided partly by the bays
themselves, which are visually enclosed or embraced by land, and partly
by the many small fishing settlements (supplemented by farming
settlements on the drumlins of western Mahone Bay). The whaleback
islands of Mahone Bay add much interest, but St. Margarets Bay is more
easily comprehended as a whole and impresses by its size. Beauty spots
can be found in all localities, but scenic ratings are highest on the
northern shore of Mahone Bay and the eastern shore of St. Margarets
Bay.
Cultural Environment
Shell middens have been found at various sites around St. Margarets Bay
and Mahone Bay, indicating the presence of traditional Mi'kmaq camps.
In the eighteenth century this area was settled by German and British
immigrants who formed fishing villages and towns around the bays.
Sheep farming is the major industry in this Unit. Extensive logging
operations began in St. Margarets Bay in the 1940s, and forest
exploitation today supplies a hardboard plant at East River. In the 1920s
the tidewater hydroelectric generating station was built at the Head of
St. Margarets Bay on the site of an old sawmill. Other hydro plants in this
area include Sandy Lake and Mill Lake. Rocks are quarried in the Bays
District by a large crushed-rock producer. Hunting and fishing pursuits
first brought tourists to the area in the 1870s, but its attraction as a
scenic destination with beaches, inlets, and villages really grew with the
advent of the automobile and the development of better roads in the
1920s. Today, although some people living in this area are involved in
the fishery or forestry resource industries, many others are commuters
who work in Halifax.
- Peggys Cove and Masons Cove are good examples of intertidal zonation on rocky shores
Provincial Parks and Park Reserves
- Graves Island
- East River
- Second Peninsula
- First Peninsula
- Fox Point
- Hubbards
- Cleveland Beach
- Queensland Beach
Proposed Parks and Protected Areas System includes Natural Landscape 14.
Scenic Viewpoints
- Sub-Unit 460a: Graves Island Provincial Park, Chester Harbour, Mahone Bay, Second Peninsula Provincial Park
- Sub-Unit 460b: Queensland Beach, Cleveland Beach
|
|