| 700 | Fundy
Coast |
|||
| 710 | Basalt Headlands |
|||
| 720 | Basalt Ridge |
|||
700 Fundy Coast
| Regional Characteristics | Geology & Landscape | Climate Fresh Water | Soils | Plants | Animals | Cultural Environment Topics & Habitats |
The Fundy Coast Region has two Districts:
710 Basalt Headlands
720 Basalt Ridge
Regional Characteristics
In the central sections of the Bay of Fundy, the coastal zone is protected from the extreme climatic conditions of the Atlantic Coast. Cape Blomidon on the south coast and Economy Mountain on the north mark the inland limits of this oceanic influence. The Fundy Coast is a climatic and vegetation transition zone dominated by basaltic rocks. Coastal sediments are locally abundant, forming small areas of salt marsh, gravel beaches, and mud flats. Wide intertidal platforms have been eroded in both basaltic and sedimentary rocks, giving a wide variety of coastal habitats.
Geology and Landscape Development
About 200 million years ago the Atlantic Ocean began to form as the continents drifted apart. The gently sloping, sandy arid plain between the Cobequid Hills and South Mountain sank down as the spreading continued. Tensions created by this movement opened rifts in the plain from which basaltic lavas welled up to spread over the sands and gravels. Faulting continued after the lavas had cooled, causing fractures, tilting, and offsets in the basalt.
Basalt occurred as far east as Portapique and is still preserved in four downfaulted blocks inland of Economy Point.
 |
| Cape Blomidon Click to enlarge |
Vertical or columnar jointing in the basalt makes it susceptible to erosion. Wide intertidal platforms have been cut at the base of the basalt, and even wider platforms have been cut in the sandstone bays of the northern shore. Erosion around the margins of the Bay of Fundy is still proceeding very rapidly.
During the glacial period the Bay of Fundy was deeply scoured by ice and then thickly covered by glacial debris. From 12,000 to 6,000 years ago the sea was probably excluded from the Bay. Before this time the sea had covered the Bay and adjacent land areas up to the ice front, forming beach deposits. These old beaches are the "raised beaches" found throughout this Region, up to 40 m above present sea level. Then, as the ice load was removed, the land began to rebound more rapidly than sea level rose and the Bay floor was exposed. During this period (12,000 to 6,000 years ago) the rivers flowing into the Bay incised their valleys down to the new base level.
When the last inundation by the sea began 6,000 years ago, the conditions for increased tidal amplitude were created by the shape of the Bay. Subsidence of the land and a slowly rising sea level worldwide have caused recently measured sea-level increases of 40 cm per century in the outer reaches of the Fundy coast. Rapid erosion of the soft rocks has been accelerated by this rise of relative sea level. Wide intertidal platforms, salt marshes, submerged forests, and freshwater marshes have formed, and large intertidal sand bodies have built up.
 |
| Cape Split Click to enlarge |
Moist summer air masses result in thick fogs over the Bay of Fundy. These fogs commonly extend to the crest of North Mountain before being dissipated by the heat of the land. Although the climate is similar to that of the Atlantic Coast in temperature (moderated with low ranges of temperature) there is less exposure to winds (except on some cliffed headlands) and salt spray from ocean swells.
East of the Minas Channel, surface waters are considerably warmer, summer fogs are much less frequent, and coastal climates resemble a modified Annapolis Valley temperature and precipitation regime. The climatic boundary is closely approximated by the eastward limit of basaltic rocks.
Fresh Water
There are very few lakes, but many shallow, fast-flowing streams drain into the Minas Channel and Bay of Fundy.
Soils
Coarse-textured soils, somewhat richer in nutrients than is usual among Nova Scotia's podzols and luvisols, are found on the basaltic rocks of the Fundy Coast. Glenmont and Rossway soils are better supplied with calcium and magnesium than other soils but are low in available phosphorous. This simple pattern of soil formation on the North Mountain Basalt Ridge (District 720) is complicated only by patches of reddish glacial till, carried south from the floor of the Bay of Fundy, on which fine-textured Wolfville soils have developed.
By contrast, the Basalt Headlands (District 710) on the north Fundy Coast has a great variety of soils developed from basalt, sandstone, shale, and extensive glacial outwash sands and gravels reworked by higher post-glacial sea levels.
Plants
The Fundy Coast Region shows evidence of being a climatic transition zone between a more-inland type of regional vegetation and the true coastal forest, although the coastal influence is still strong. Red Spruce is abundant here (but is not found in the Atlantic Coast Region). American Beech and Sugar Maple are found here at higher elevations.
On exposed basalt cliffs, arctic-alpine plant communities are found, containing some plants with a boreal distribution. Cliff-top forests are of the true dense coastal-forest type but change within a few metres to a more open hardwood forest with a rich herbaceous understory.
Coastal waters support sometimes dense growths of marine algae where sediment content is low. Where sedimentary rocks outcrop at the coast, turbidity is high and species diversity is severely restricted.
Animals
Deer populations are large, particularly in the Basalt Headlands District where they spend their winters. Richer soils in the basaltic rock areas support diverse woodland soil fauna. At the coast, marine algae and nutrient-rich waters support a variety of marine animals.
Cultural Environment
Mi'kmaq legends surround areas of the Fundy Coast, explaining the origins of geographical features such as the Five Islands. Bay of Fundy fisheries provide an economic base for many communities. Weir-fishing and commercial clamdigging are particularly distinctive to this Region. Since the nineteenth century, small-scale farming and forest exploitation have been characteristic land uses. During the nineteenth century, several tidal-powered grist mills were in operation. Timber continues to supply sawmills. Fossil-bearing cliffs, where dinosaur remains have been excavated, are sites of immense interest to scientists and fossil enthusiasts. Rockhounds are also attracted by the presence of agates and amethyst in coastal cliffs of this Region. Impressive coastal scenery, hiking trails, and parks attract recreation and tourism to the Fundy Coast.
|
|