Sandstone in Canada - IMG 0791 (11385934064)

The Hopewell Rocks, also called the Flowerpots Rocks or simply The Rocks, are rock formations known as

sea stacks A stack or sea stack is a geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, formed by wave erosion. Stacks are formed over time by wind and water, processes of coastal geomorphology ...

caused by tidal erosion in the Hopewell Rocks Ocean Tidal Exploration Site at the Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park in

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, Canada. They stand 40–70 feet tall. They are located on the shores of the upper reaches of the

Bay of Fundy The Bay of Fundy (french: Baie de Fundy) is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its extremely high tidal range is the hi ...

Hopewell Cape Hopewell Cape is a Canadian village and headland in Albert County, New Brunswick at the northern end of Shepody Bay and the mouth of the Petitcodiac River. Hopewell Cape had been the municipal centre for Albert County prior to the dissolution of ...

near the end of a series of Fundy coastal tourism hubs including Fundy National Park and the Fundy Trail. Due to the extreme

tidal range Tidal range is the difference in height between high tide and low tide. Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and Sun and the rotation of Earth. Tidal range depends on time and location. ...

of the Bay of Fundy, the base of the formations are covered in water twice a day. It is possible to view the formations from ground level at low tide. The formations consist of red-brown sedimentary conglomerate, sandstone, and minor mudstone rock from the

Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carbonifero ...

Hopewell Cape Formation, part of the Mabou Group. The large volume of water flowing in to and out of the Bay of Fundy modifies the landscape surrounding it. After the retreat of the

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

s in the region following the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

, surface water filtering through cracks in the cliff has eroded and separated the formations from the rest of the cliff face. Meanwhile, advancing and retreating tides and the associated waves have eroded the base of the rocks at a faster rate than the tops, resulting in their unusual shapes. The vast sediment planes in the basin in Fundy supports a variety of biological productivity. Various

shorebird 245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...

s are often seen flocking to nest and feed in the area. Visitors are advised to stay for a full

tidal cycle Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables can ...

to get a full appreciation of the tides and formations. Although the tides vary from day to day, the high tide can be as high as giving the Hopewell Rocks one of the highest average tides in the world. On March 14, 2016, a part of one of the Hopewell Rocks, Elephant Rock, collapsed. Park officials said approximately 100 to 200 tonnes of rock fell to the ground. "Sometime after the tide went out this morning, a significant piece of Elephant Rock calved off, closing off a whole section or a whole passageway where we used to walk," said Kevin Snair, supervisor of interpretive services at the Hopewell Rocks. A similar formation collapsed at the nearby

Fundy Trail Parkway The Fundy Trail Parkway is a 30 kilometer-long scenic parkway in the Atlantic Canadian province of New Brunswick along the coast of the Bay of Fundy. The parkway provides access to a number of trails and over 20 lookout locations along the coast, ...

on February 24, 2022.

References

External links

TheHopewellRocks.ca

"A year in the HOPEWELL ROCKS area" DVD
* {{New Brunswick parks Provincial parks of New Brunswick Geography of Albert County, New Brunswick Landforms of Albert County, New Brunswick Stacks of Canada Tourist attractions in Albert County, New Brunswick Beaches of New Brunswick Landforms of New Brunswick Rock formations of Canada

See also

References

External links