Geology and Landscape Development | | Climate | Fresh Water Soils | Plants | Animals | Cultural Environment Topics & Habitats

Geology and Landscape Development
The Canso Barrens extend northeastwards from New Harbour to Cape Canso. The area is composed of rounded bodies of granite intruded into Meguma Group slates and greywacke. The Meguma greywacke and slates have been extensively metamorphosed to form schists. All bedrock components have been affected by shearing movements along the Chedabucto Fault. The granite appears as knolls in the landscape, rising up to 200 m above sea level.

Tor Bay Click to enlarge

Thin deposits of granite, schist, and slate tills cover about 50 per cent of the surface, but the remainder is exposed bedrock, giving the area a bleak, moonscape appearance. A few drumlins composed of red-brown till derived from Carboniferous deposits are found on the northeast side of Tor Bay and south of Canso Harbour. The supply of coastal sediment is very limited.

The shape of the coastline reflects two influences: the presence of the Chedabucto Fault on the straight northern coast and submergence on the southern shore. New Harbour is a long, narrow inlet formed by the inundation of a fault-controlled river valley. Glacial outwash deposits are found along a 7-km section of the valley and block the drainage at two points, creating two ribbon lakes.

Fresh Water
The many different-sized lakes and ponds are fed by complex patterns of streams and tributaries. Surface water tends to be slightly acidic, with pH levels generally below 6.0.

Soils

Canso Barrens, near Charlos' Cove, Guysborough County Click to enlarge

Over much of the area, soils are very thin or non-existent. Over the granite, where soil cover has developed, is mostly Gibraltar soil (well-drained sandy loam). On flatter areas near the coast, Danesville gleyed podzol (imperfectly drained sandy loam) is common. In the middle of the Canso peninsula, Bridgewater soils (well-drained, shaly silt loams) have developed on the slate, interspersed with many boggy areas. Small, finer-textured Wolfville drumlins are strung out along the road to Canso and near Port Felix. Around Larrys River is an area of excessively drained Nictaux soil on outwash sands and gravel.

Plants
Where enough soil is present for trees to become established, the trees are mostly Black Spruce and Balsam Fir in dense stands with some White Spruce, maple, and birch (H6.3). On wetter areas, Black Spruce and larch predominate. The presence of Jack Pine on the Canso peninsula indicates that extensive fires have occurred. Vegetation on the barrens includes Sheep Laurel, Huckleberry, Labrador Tea, scrubby Black Spruce, Bracken Fern, and alders.

C.D. Howe's 1912 comments on the "forests" of this unproductive area are: "The bare rock is largely exposed and is strewn with boulders. The soil cover in the drier portions is not over two inches deep and is composed of raw humus. The deeper soils are of the same nature and both are covered with small herbs and shrubs. The crevices of the rock and the depressions are filled with alder and stunted black spruce and fir."

Rocky shores provide good substrate for rockweed and kelp growth.

Animals
The large areas of barren do not provide productive wildlife habitats. The rocky southeastern coast provides breeding grounds for gulls, the Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Arctic Tern, Common Tern, and Common Eider (see Unit 842). The cobble beaches and cliffs, and the lack of inlets and islands, make the presence of the waterfowl around the Chedabucto Bay coast much less interesting. A cold-water shore with little slope-water influence means that marine productivity is diminished and marine fauna impoverished. An arctic indicator species Mysis gaspensis, a crustacean, occurs here. Typical fish include Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Banded Killifish, and sticklebacks.

Cultural Environment
Since the 1500s, Canso has been a strategically important fishery base. Situated at the entrance of Chedabucto Bay, it is the nearest point on the mainland of North America to the great Atlantic fishing banks. It is said that the harbour of Canso was frequented by European fur traders and

Studying a tidepool Click to enlarge

fishermen within a dozen years of the arrival of Columbus in America, and an attempt at settlement was made here as early as 1518. The name "Canso" is derived from the Mi'kmaq word "Kamsok," meaning "opposite the lofty cliffs." With the closure of a major fish-processing plant in the early 1990s and the collapse of fish stocks, Canso's long history as an important fishery centre was threatened.

Sites of Special Interest

• Along Highway 16 - fault-scarp of Chedabucto Fault
• Grassy Islands National Historic Site - commemorates the role of the Canso fishery in the early eighteenth century

Associated Topics T2.2 The Avalon and Meguma Zones T2.3 Granite in Nova Scotia T3.4 Terrestrial Glacial Deposits and Landscape Features T9.1 Soil-forming Factors

Associated Habitats H2.1 Rocky Shore H2.2 Boulder/Cobble Shore H4.1 Bog H5.1 Barren H2.1 Rocky Shore H5.3 Cliff and Bank H6.2 Softwood Forest (Black Spruce, Larch Association) H6.3 Mixedwood Forest (White Spruce, Fir-Maple, Birch Association) Associated Offshore Region 911 Atlantic