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Rock Hounding &
Collecting |
| Table of
Contents
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| See BBL's
Adventure weekend getaway for
Rocks & Fossils |
|
A rock hound has found her
favorite rock. |
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Looking down at BBL's alvars.
Note the Size 13 boot toe for scale at the bottom of the picture.
The alvars are similar to poured concrete; flat, plate-like limestone
dolomite rocks formed from ancient coral seas.
Here, we can see a number of the large shells fossilized into the mass
formed by millions of microscopic shells.
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Another picture of BBay's alvars,
looking South-West to Lake Huron. These rocks are similar to poured
concrete in some areas.
A few of the cracks slowly become a habit for plant life. |
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A sedimentary slate that shows
quartz intrusion during a metamorphic conversion. This rock was carried
from the Canadian Shield by glacial action, and dropped on BBay's beach
about 8,000 to 14,000 years ago. |
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The setting sun is used to add
bright yellow colouration to this limestone rock. The white limestone is
dark gray from bacteria and lichen growing on the rock surface.
The pock marks in this rock are the softer (less mineralized fossil
shells) parts of the rock etched away by the acid rain. The harder,
more mineralized parts stay intact (contains greater concentrations of
magnesium, less calcium).
Found on the East beach at BBay. |
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Ancient muds collected
sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rock fragments and pebbles on an
ancient beach or river. Millions of pounds pressure and heat turned
the conglomeration into sedimentary rock. Found on the East beach at
BBay. |
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An igneous, large grain granite
on the bottom (brown, black, and cream speckled rock), with a sedimentary
shale on top, with a granite intrusion through the shale.
Found on the East beach at BBay. |
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Big, brown rock hound on the East
beach. The alvars here are broken and cracked from the extreme
pressure and gouging from the ancient glacier that passed by. The plants
have taken advantage of the dust and dirt that collected into the cracks
over the last 8,000 years.
These are some of the heartiest plants in the world; baked dry in the
summer, and frozen solid in the winter with nothing but the dust in the
air as a food source. |
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Close-up of the BBL's Manitoulin
alvars. Image shows approx. 2 ft. x 18" Here we see the black bacteria
and lichens that colour the white dolomite and limestone dark grey and
black.
Again, pock marks from the acid rain.
We can clearly see the outline of large marine creatures and plants
that have been fossilized into the rock millions of years ago.
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Picture shows a close-up (scale
is approx. 16" x 12") of fossilized corals in the Manitoulin limestone.
Halysites sp. |
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Looking due South on BBay's
beach, we see that the glaciers laid a course of gravel, rocks, and
boulders (from 0" to 4 ft. thick, depending on location) on top of the
alvar bedrock. Over the years, the grasses have tried to form a
habitat between the rocks. Quick examination of the beach yields a
treasure trove of geological mysteries and finds. |
| See BBL's
Adventure weekend getaway for
Rocks & Fossils on Manitoulin |
