Deposition of Nova Scotia's Rainy Cove

Rainy Cove is home to some of the highest tides on earth found in the province of Nova Scotia in Canada. It's high cliffs and eroded rocks are some of the most interesting and easy way to show the process in which the earth was formed into what it is today.

The depositional environment of the Carboniferous aged sediments was primarily a lacustrine type environment. The predominate evidence for this conclusion can be found in the rocks and rock types along with the chemical weathering on these sandstones and shales with minor conglomerates and the age of other stratigraphy.

The depositional environment of the Triassic aged sediments was primarily a marine type environment. The predominate evidence for this conclusion can be found in the rock and rock types as along with the chemical weathering on these sandstones, shales and basalt lava with minor conglomerates all together which would have formed from the previous mid-Atlantic ridge.

The interval between the Carboniferous and Triassic deposition was filled with many geological events. The major event that occurred was the forming of a major fault that formed along the old terrane boundary that caused the crust immediately south of the fault to be down-dropped. This event formed the Bay of Fundy right after the opening of the Atlantic Ocean.

After the Triassic deposition the are of Rainy Cove began to dry up which is why the structure is seen above water and has been eroding and pulled back toward the ocean by strong tides and ocean currents.

The area of Rainy Cove continues to be pulled into the ocean by the currents and tides while constantly being physically and chemically eroded by different elements such as rain, wind, contact of rock and various chemical weathering which is brought on by some of the highest tides on earth.