Memramcook

I posted a few days ago that I've been going on a few treks in the area, looking for rocks and fossils. The Maritimes provinces are considered a gold mine when it comes to fossils. Reading up on the geology of this small part of Canada, it was witness of the many changes that the Earth went through for more then 4 billion years!

Many communities celebrate this fact and some are even pushing to have this little part of the world recognized internationally. I was surprised to find out that some of the sites I've visited hasn't really been on the radar.

A few days ago I went to explore such a site. Beaumont is a small french Acadian community situated not too far from the town of Memramcook, here in Southern New Brunswick. Beaumont is a picturesque example of how it would have looked like when Acadians lived when they first came here, with the vast farmlands, the reclaimed marshes turned into irrigable land, and the herds of cows roaming with ease, living la vida loca.



When you reach the old church in Beaumont, the paved road transitions into a dirt road. The first time I tried to venture down that road, it had major mud holes and I didn't think at the time my Volkswagen Rabbit had the clearance to pass through. A few weeks later, my brother Don suggested we go for a drive with his Santa Fe, which is a little higher then my rabbit. With the company of my friend Phil, we made our way pass the deep mud pits of hell. The drive along the coast is just breathtaking. Every time there was a clearing in the trees, you could see the large chocolate colored mud banks of the Peticodiac River.

At one point we came down a steep incline and parked on the side of the road at the bottom of it. We walked carefully down a trail that took us to a small sandy spot on the beach. I wish I had brought my camera (I also forgot to bring it the second time I went - I'll post some pics when I get the chance to go back). The tides were low, for all we could see was mud! Thick, chocolaty mud. The beach consisted of a lot of loose rubble and rocks, due to the tidal activity. The few fossils I found were very worn, but present. The most interesting thing I saw that day at the beach was a layer of very dark solid rock jutting from the sand, peaking out of the cliff. Looking up closely I saw veins of some sort of mineral, what at first thought could have been fundy agate. I would later on bring a few pieces of those minerals to a friend of mine that identified them as Baryte (barite).

I'll stop right here for now as I will post some pictures when I go back. I have a few nice samples of that mineral from that vein, thanks to my trusty new rock pick. To be continued...

Disclaimer: In New Brunswick under the 'Heritage Conservation Act', fossils discovered must not be destroyed or removed from sites where they are found without a permit. It is every one's civic duty to report any finds to the New Brunswick Museum (https://www.nbm-mnb.ca/). This encourages the contribution these finds could make to science not just in the province, but on the global stage. You must also seek permission if you are to enter private land.