We love getting questions about #mining, #minerals and #geology! We were asked about the red soil and sand at #CabotsLanding Provincial Park in #CapeBreton. Here’s our answer:
#nspoli #cbpoli #NovaScotia #CapeBretonHighlands #CB #NS
Sand and soil are eroded rock. Red sand and soil, like at #CabotsLanding, eroded from rock with significant iron content. Iron oxidizes/rusts when exposed to air, so the red is rusted iron.
#nspoli #cbpoli #NovaScotia #Capebreton #CB #NS
The sand, soil and clay at #CabotsLanding are glacial outwash - sediments deposited by glaciers as they melted at the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago. Much of the sediment is eroded from the #CapeBreton Highlands, which used to be much bigger.
#nspoli #cbpoli #NovaScotia
The #CapeBreton Highlands are a remnant of the Appalachian Mountain chain which formed 480 million years ago when N. America and N. Africa collided. The Appalachians ran from Alabama to #Newfoundland and were taller than the Himalayas but are mostly eroded now.
#nspoli #cbpoli
Explorer #JohnCabot is believed to have made landfall in the area around #CabotsLanding on June 24,1497.
#nspoli #cbpoli #NovaScotia #Capebreton #CB #NS
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.