I have (co)hosted field schools for students and professionals (the latter mostly from the petroleum industry) around Nova Scotia and am happy to build your group a tailor-made trip. I am a clastic sedimentologist, so my trips focus on that aspect of our science. I involve highly respected expert colleagues for specific stops, if so desired.
Nova Scotia has an fascinating geologic history, exposing a billion years of earth history, resulting in an astonishing geodiversity, all of which is extremely well exposed along its 4,000 km coastline. We have some of the world’s most iconic fossil sites and we have the world’s highest tides. In addition, we are blessed by having all this beauty in a relatively small area, which means that we don’t have to drive long between stops. For an impression, here are my blog posts on Nova Scotia geology: here and here and here and here and here and here.
What can such a trip entail?
Left: Simplified geologic terranes of the Canadian Maritimes (note scale). Right: a digital elevation model.
1. Fossil sites for paleontology enthusiasts:
Left: Examining exposed tree roots at Joggins. Right: admiring the Triassic-Jurassic boundary at Five Islands Provincial Park
Joggins Fossil Cliffs: this UNESCO World Heritage site is also called “The Coal Age Galapagos”
Blue Beach – Tournaisian tetrapod trackways and lots more
Parrsboro area (Fundy Geological Museum) – world’s first dinosaurs!
Brule Beach – Carboniferous-age flora and fauna.
2. Tidal flats, the tidal bore, tidal energy
Studying tidal flat sedimentology in Minas Basin
Left: tide ranges (in meters) in the Bay of Fundy and associated estuaries. Right: Annapolis River and tidal power station at barrage in the river.
3. Really old rocks
Left: mud volcanoes in Cambro-Ordovician deep water sediments of the Meguma Group on the Atlantic coast. Right: hiking on peraluminous granites of the South Mountain Batholith
The fun parts
Geoscience is fun, but if you want to get an idea what’s special here, click on this link:
Logistics and cost
Here are just a few ball park figures – specifics to be worked out for each individual trip.
– time of year: between June and October. This being a northern country, despite the fact that we are only at 45degN, I must warn for ‘bug season’, which runs in June and sometimes into July. See this link for weather.
– You must arrange for your own travel insurance
– Airport: Halifax (YHZ).
– Accommodation in simple hotels, average price ca. Can$135 per room per night (sharing a room will make it cheaper)
– Count on a per diem of max. Can$100 per person per day for breakfast, lunch and dinner and your need for alcoholic drinks. Some of these meals will be included in the price of the trip (e.g. field lunches)
– Transportation by commercial coach with a professional driver for a bigger group or self-driven mini-vans for a smaller group. Ca. Can$200 per person for a week.
– Field guides, geologic maps: ca. Can$50
– Fee for guides (myself and occasional expert, if so desired): Can$1000 per guide per day for commercial groups (companies), Can$500 for not-for-profit groups
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