Brief Report – Field Trip to Wasson Bluff: The air was below zero this morning, with the first snowfall of the year having fallen two days ago. The low tide height in Parrsboro was 2.96 m today at 1:42 pm. The sun was out for most of the early afternoon, which provided good (oblique) lighting to look for dinosaur footprints.
The rocks that are exposed only at low tide were examined again today. The Bay of Fundy tidal range is vast at Wasson Bluff, extending as much as 1.5 kilometers from the shore. From way out here you can see the entire expanse of the shore.
Among several observations made today, a new dinosaur footprint was located. Although it is damaged from the tidal erosion, its location has been documented for future examination.
You can also explore an interactive image of this footprint at: https://edinos.ca/141116-footprint/
The rocks exposed in the low-tide zone are only exposed for 4 hours a day (2 hours twice a day). These are the same rocks units that are seen in the shoreline cliff faces, but there are larger exposures of the units. Below is a photo of the layers visible this afternoon, younger layers stacked on top of older layers below. Zoe (in the water) and Wedge provide scale.
This afternoon it was interesting to find a remnant of an old fishing weir, way out here in the low tide zone.
Visit the Fundy Geological Museum in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, to learn more about these and other fossil discoveries being made on the northern shore of the Bay of Fundy.
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