by Kevin Snair
The story of the birth of the Hopewell Rocks begins over 330 million years ago and features some of nature’s most powerful forces that have been battling since the beginning of time. Century after century, storms rained down on the nearby Caledonia Mountain Range and washed small rocks and sediment into the level valley below. Millions of years passed and this sediment got higher and heavier and pressed on the layers below. Eventually this pressure transformed the layers into a unique type of rock that is now known as the Hopewell Conglomerate.
The story of the birth of the Hopewell Rocks begins over 330 million years ago and features some of nature’s most powerful forces that have been battling since the beginning of time. Century after century, storms rained down on the nearby Caledonia Mountain Range and washed small rocks and sediment into the level valley below. Millions of years passed and this sediment got higher and heavier and pressed on the layers below. Eventually this pressure transformed the layers into a unique type of rock that is now known as the Hopewell Conglomerate.
After this, nature treated the area to some major tectonic action as the continents repositioned themselves. The resulting pressure thrust these rocks upward at a 30-40 degree angle, which you can see in the photo to the left. This also caused vertical cracks that segmented the rock until it resembled a tightly packed jigsaw puzzle.
Then, a mere 13,000 years ago, the last of this region’s great glaciers melted. As they melted, the weight on the land lessened. The land rebounded and then settled into its present position about 6,000 years ago. The water released from the glaciers formed rivers and streams that flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. Ocean levels rose and allowed salt water to break over George’s Bank and fill the valley between what is now Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Maine...creating the Bay of Fundy with its giant tides.
Those tides battered against the Rocks twice a day and the soft conglomerate rock started to erode faster. The vertical cracks widened and separated the rock into jig-saw-like pieces. Some pieces crumbled into the sea and others were left as the freestanding formations we see today.
Printed with permission from The Bay of Fundy’s Hopewell Rocks by Kevin Snair, Chocolate River Publishing, 2015. Available at www.chocolateriver.ca, The Hopewell Rocks gift shop and many Albert County businesses.
Then, a mere 13,000 years ago, the last of this region’s great glaciers melted. As they melted, the weight on the land lessened. The land rebounded and then settled into its present position about 6,000 years ago. The water released from the glaciers formed rivers and streams that flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. Ocean levels rose and allowed salt water to break over George’s Bank and fill the valley between what is now Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Maine...creating the Bay of Fundy with its giant tides.
Those tides battered against the Rocks twice a day and the soft conglomerate rock started to erode faster. The vertical cracks widened and separated the rock into jig-saw-like pieces. Some pieces crumbled into the sea and others were left as the freestanding formations we see today.
Printed with permission from The Bay of Fundy’s Hopewell Rocks by Kevin Snair, Chocolate River Publishing, 2015. Available at www.chocolateriver.ca, The Hopewell Rocks gift shop and many Albert County businesses.
Photos by Kevin Snair.
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