The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Fossil Hunting at Blue Beach, Nova Scotia

Yesterday, we went for a walk at Blue Beach, Nova Scotia. The rocks on this beach have produced some of the oldest fossils found in the world, dating back 350 million years ago!

Blue Beach is located on the northern shore of Nova Scotia, in between the towns of Windsor and Wolfville. It's also situated on part of the Bay of Fundy where the highest tides in the world take place.

There's a small parking area and a path that leads a couple of hundred meters to the beach. It's not a sand beach. The rocks on the shore are sedimentary sandstone and shale...and those rocks contain thousands of fossils of plants and creatures from a long time ago.

Looking for fossils at Blue Beach.

The tide is out in the picture above. In fact, when the tide is in, we can't even walk where we are in the picture. High tide comes up to just a bit higher than where Cameron is on the left side of the pic. 

Even with the tide out, you can't walk on the sand. It's more like mud, and you would sink up to your ankles!

Kevin, with a good example of the sedimentary rock found here. There are thousands of fossils hidden in these rocks!

Justin, Ruth, and Cameron on Blue Beach. 

You almost can't take 10 steps without coming across a fossil of some kind in the rocks on the beach. Most of them are of some form of plant life, so there are a lot of neat designs in some of the rocks. But there are other fossils too, including insects and animal parts. And raindrops. Did you know that there are fossilized raindrops??

Blue Beach is a great place to take your dog for a walk too! 

Done with our walk, now we head back past the parking area and to the museum!

The Blue Beach Fossil Museum contains 96,000 lbs of fossils! Of course only the best and most interesting are on display. The museum has been a labor of love for owners Chris and Sonja Wood, and it's well worth a visit to see some of the better finds from the region.

Blue Beach Fossil Museum

Fossils.

More fossils.

This is a great stop for a morning or afternoon visit. The museum is free, although donations are gratefully accepted. You can find the parking are at GPS coordinates 45.09767, -64.21552

Blue Beach, Nova Scotia.

Okay, can't resist...one more picture of granddaughter Sadie!

Snug as a bug in a rug!


14 comments:

  1. Howdy R&K,
    Thanx, for another interesting off the usual adventure... You wonder with tides that high and the power of them how the land is able to not just wash away... Nice pic of the baby too, also...
    Hope the weather holds and y'all have a HAPPY DAY!!!

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    1. In some places the land does get washed away. You have to be very careful when you go walking along the coastline that you don't get caught on the beach with no access back to your starting point. People don't realize how fast and high the tide can come in here.

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  2. I had no idea there was such a place in Nova Scotia. Most interesting as my Dad grew up in the Drumheller, Alberta area and of course I grew up surrounded by fossils.

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    1. There is actually another place in Nova Scotia that is better known for fossils called Joggins but Blue Beach has older fossils. Both are beautiful spots. It's been a long time since I was a Drumheller.

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  3. Really cool. I really liked the one on the right side of the picture - looks kind of like a fern.

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    1. I think the one you are talking about is actually some kind of creature. There were some of ferns though.

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  4. Fun adventure with the kids and grandkids. Sadie is adorable.

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    1. We are having fun with them and Sadie is adorable!

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  5. Guess those fossils were animals that got caught by the high tides? :cO

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  6. Another great hike love the beaches there on the east coast.

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  7. Just wanted to say thank you for the beautiful pictures. This was my playground in the 70s and early 80s. My dad was the last lighthouse keeper at the horton bluff lighthouse. Thanks for the memories.

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    1. So glad that you enjoyed the photos Mike. It is a beautiful area and we loved our time there.

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