Tidal Bore- August 18

This morning we left Dartmouth and headed for Amherst, Nova Scotia. We are now a few miles from the New Brunswick border. We got a fairly early start so we could watch the tidal bore in the upper arm of the Bay of Fundy. We got to the spot at the Salmon River early so could see the before and after effect. The river at first was at a low level and meandering slowly to the west. A bore is when tide meets the river. This creates a dramatic effect because the ocean tide pushes the river in the opposite direction it is flowing. The level of the river rises rapidly and the flow of the river reverses. There are narrower areas in the Bay of Fundy where the tidal bore creates waves as high as several feet. Never having seen one before,we enjoyed watching this less dramatic tidal bore. Other people had joined us at the river banks so it was fun also people watching; hearing their comments and reactions to this phenomena of nature which happens twice daily. The picture I have here is of the stirred up muddy water of the river meeting the tide. In the afternoon we visited a world heritage site located at Joggins, Nova Scotia. In the middle 1800s scientists here discovered a treasure trove of fossils dating from 300 million years ago. To be more precise, it was the "Coal Age Galapagos" of the Carboniferous prehistoric era. Giant insects, towering trees and the first known reptiles lived and died here. Over the years they were preserved in the stone which make up the cliffs in Joggins. New fossils are continuously being exposed by erosion of the cliffs. These cliffs are along the coast of the Bay of Fundy and are being eroded by the high tides. We walked along the shore there and tried to find our own fossils (but you are not allowed to keep what you find). We found a variety of many kinds of rock, of differing colors and shapes. One thing we saw interesting was a fossilized seed pod. We also saw pieces of fossilized trees in the cliffs. In the museum located at Joggins it was easier to view the fossils. This also used to be a coal mining area-I have posted here a seam of coal which we found among a pile of rocks.