Cap Maringouin (Dorchester Cape, New Brunswick)

There is a location South of Dorchester Cape that I hadn't got the chance to check. Everytime I drove by that road in the Johnson Mills area I would notice outcrops and sandstone cliffs through gaps in the brush. My friend Matt had found some tracks and had mentionned the location in a paper he co-authored. I read and did some research on the area. The cliffs that I wanted to go check are part of the Mabou Group and the Cumberland Group, a transition between Upper and Lower Carboniferous formations, which some stretch beyond Shepody Bay all the way to Hopewell Cape (ei. Hopewell Cape Formation).

The section that I would be looking at would be Grande Anse formation (Cga), from the Cumberland Group (Upper Carboniferous). South of the formation you can also find the Shepody-Beckwith Fault, seperating the Grande Anse formation and the Ward Point Member of the Boss Point formation (Cbpwp), both of the same group.

South towards Johnson's Mills

Typical sandstone and mudstone found in these cliffs

You can access the beach by going down by the small bridge in the sharp turn. I parked my car at a rarely used dirt road and proceeded carefully down the path.

I only had a couple hours before the tide would have made my trek down the beach difficult, so I proceeded to walk South as far as possible before checking the clock and turn back. The cliffs that I saw looked similar to what you would usually find at Joggins, Nova Scotia. The sandstone and mudstone stratum was angled and tilted at certain angles, and contained many features, such as river channels. I didn't see any trace fossils on this walk, but I intend to come back and take my time to check the sandstone. The trace fossil record in New Brunswick is scarce (at least when it comes to being reported), and any new finds would be a great contribution.

What looks like a water channel (such as a river)

Strata, somewhat similar to what you'd see at Joggins, Nova Scotia

Potential is there to make some finds, but you have to really get in and look. Some of the trace fossils can be extremely tiny, so this could take some time before some are found. Hope to be able to return soon.

Till then, cheers!

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.