Neal E. Barnes

Sedimentological and geophysical studies and the analysis of the present topography have helped to detail the historical implications of a small bay.

Mahone Bay has been extensively glaciated along structural controls and this has exposed a sub-Mississippian surface. The most recent, Wisconsin, glaciation has left large deposits of till material throughout the bay. Deep incised channels displaying an up and down profile can be explained as Rinnentaler which are characteristic of areas of ablation by downwasting.

Extensive deposits of stratified sediments have been laid down as glacial outwash into a proglacial lake which had formed behind a bedrock sill during periods of lower sea level stand.

Present sedimentation in the Bay is predominantly the result of the reworking of till deposits. This reworking removes the finer material leaving lag gravels and sands. The fine muds often go into suspension settling out eventually into the deeper basins. As the lag gravel deposits develop they serve to armour the tills from further marine erosion.

A transgressing sea over a shallow bedrock sill at the mouth of the Bay has exposed it to three separate environments, an initial lake, an intermediate lacustrine environment and the present open ocean.

Keywords:
Pages:
Supervisors: D. J. W. Piper / H. B. S. Cooke