The Appalachians
The area south of the St. Lawrence River and trending into both the United States and through the Maritime Provinces to Newfoundland is part of the Appalachian orogenic belt. Rocks that are exposed in this region date from the latest Precambrian into the Mesozoic, with much of the modern topography a result of Cenozoic uplift and erosion. Access to these eastern field trips would be made through Halifax, Montreal or Boston, Massachusetts.
Stonehammer Geopark, St. John, New Brunswick
This is North America’s first Geopark and was established in 2010. The oldest rocks in the Park are late Precambrian (about one billion years) and the region has representation from most geological periods through to the Quaternary. Members of the 12th International Geological Congress visited the Park in 1913 to look at features such as the reversing rapids (they do so because of the very high tidal range in the Bay of Fundy), and the excellent Cambrian and Upper Carboniferous outcrops.
The Field trip will start and end in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Duration: 2 to 5 days.
Image credit: C Russell
Geological Setting of St John’s and the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland
This field trip would examine the geology of the eastern part of Newfoundland, centered at St John’s, the capital of the province. There would be opportunities to visit exhibits at the Johnson Geoscience Centre and at Manuels River. The classic Ediacaran localities at Silos Cove and Mistaken Point on the eastern and southern coasts of the Avalon Peninsula would be visited. The excursion could be expanded to look at the regional tectonics as part of a Trans-Newfoundland transect that would take participants across Newfoundland and, in effect, across the Appalachian orogenic belt.
Start and end in St. John’s.
Duration: 4 days.
Image credit: A Kerr
Cliffs of Fundy Geopark, Nova Scotia
The Bay of Fundy has (reputedly) the highest tidal range in the world. Geological features include the Hopewell Rocks that have been sculpted by the high tides, the World’s oldest reptile fossils, giant millipede trackways of Carboniferous age, Triassic archosaurs, footprints and traces and the Triassic/Jurassic boundary.
The field trip will start and end in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Duration: 2 to 5 days.
Image credit: K Boggs
Geology of Western Newfoundland and Gros Morne National Park
This fieldtrip to western Newfoundland would specifically examine the basal crustal and uppermost mantle rocks exposed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Gros Morne National Park. Here an ophiolite complex illustrates obduction in the closure phases of the Iapetus Ocean as Baltica and Laurasia came together. Nearby Paleozoic rocks of Cambrian and Ordovician age show superb examples of the animals within the depositional environments of the Iapetus Ocean. Not too far to the north is the only known Viking site in North America at the top of the Great Northern Peninsula at L’Anse aux Meadows.
Start and end in Cornerbrook, Newfoundland.
Duration: 5 days.
Image credit: D Greggs
Geology of the Halifax Area and Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia
This area consists of sedimentary Cambrian to Ordovician deep-water turbidites (Meguma Group), metasedimentary and volcanic rocks. These rocks were deformed about 400 million years ago and intruded with granites some 370 Ma during the Middle Devonian orogeny. Younger rock sequences include sedimentary and volcanic rocks of Carboniferous and Triassic age. Gypsum quarries, thick basalt sequences and former gold and tin mining areas are also present in the region.
The field trip will start and end in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Duration: 1 to 5 days.
Image credit: D Jarvis
Geology of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail are one of Canada’s most scenic regions. The geology encompasses the late Precambrian (marbles, metasedimentary rocks) through Paleozoic with complex collisional tectonics and intrusions that were involved in the early stages of the formation of Pangea. Major faulting has created strong landforms in the region. Other items of interest include the former coal mining area that was established in the 1600s and points of historical importance such as the fortress at Louisburg.
The field trip will start and end in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Duration: 5 days.
Image credit: L Navarro