The Documented History Of The Bay Of Fundy
- ThePersaudCatalog
- May 30
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 8
This months article series will discuss the Bay Of Fundy, Canada! The Bay of Fundy is is a body of water separating New Brunswick from Nova Scotia, & rests along the Atlantic Ocean.
The Bay is best known for having the highest tidal range in the world, meaning the largest difference between the low & high tide. The tide in the bay of fundy is enormous, being at least 52 feet high, possibly higher.
The bay is theorized to be corrupted from the French word “fendu”, meaning split. The Bay of Fundy began forming 250 million years ago, & fully formed approximately 190 million years ago. It is currently filled with treacherous rapids, & beautiful rocky landscapes.
The bay has an area of roughly 6,178 square miles (16000.95 square kilometers). The bay can get 787.402 feet (240 meters) deep, & is teeming with marine life.
The Bay Of Fundy has many, many different ecosystems ranging from cold-water estuaries, to crashing rocky shorelines. Along with these, the bay is littered with sea caves that flood when the tide rises. In these caves, thousands of fossils from 300 million years ago lie. It is for this reason, that the Bay of Fundy is not only a UNESCO Global Geopark, but a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Due to the fact that the bay is so large, we will not be covering any specific town along the bay, we will be covering the history of the bay itself. As we are covering the history of the bay itself, we will not have a section on the economy.
The bay's history spans over 250 million years, back to when the super-continent of Pangaea was dividing. For the majority of this time, the bay was not filled with water, allowing fossils to form much more easily.
Many maritime battles have been fought along this bay, such as the Seven Years' War. For all of its fascinating & beautiful traits, in 2014, the bay was made one of the natural wonders of the world.
In this article, we will discuss the Prehistoric & Geologic History of the Bay of Fundy, the documented aboriginals of the Bay of Fundy, & the Most Destructive Man-Caused & Natural Disasters To Affect the Bay of Fundy. With that being said, let us delve into the Bay of Fundy.
The History Of The Bay Of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy first began forming 250 million years ago, when the supercontinent of Pangea began splitting & forming modern continents. As the supercontinent split, space between North America & Africa began forming, which eventually would form the Atlantic, & create a valley. 150 million years later, the tip of Nova Scotia fused with the U.S state of Maine, which would allow the bay to become a shallow lake. As the basin dried, harsh rain eroded the surrounding mountains, sending red rubble crashing to the bay shore. This also caused large deposits of sandstone to fall around the bay, which can still be seen at the Minas Basin.
During the Triassic Period, nearby volcanic eruptions caused large amounts of basalt to be deposited around, which formed the jagged cliffs along the coast. One of the most common places to see the basalt is Cape Enrage, which is in New Brunswick.
Following the end of the last glacial maximum, the Atlantic Ocean flooded the basin, & gave us the bay that we have today. The high tides of the bay have eroded the cliffside, making fossils from over 300 million years ago visible to humans at low tide.
Additionally, the tides have eroded the rocks to create beautiful formations that kayakers & swimmers can go through. Two of the most notable rock formations are the Three Sisters Rocks, & the Hopewell Rocks.
The Documented Aboriginals Of The Bay Of Fundy
The Mi’kmaq / Micmac Indigenous Peoples Tribe
The Mi’kmaq are a tribe that lived along the shores of The Bay of Fundy. They are also known as the Micmac. They have lived on the land for at least 10,000 years. They spoke the Eastern Algonquian Language, which is also known as Mi’kmaq. The Mi’kmaq would hunt Caribou & Moose in the winter, & shellfish with seals in the summer. They would become temporarily nomadic in the winter, & build conical wigwam structures to live in. As the seasons change, they would move accordingly to be able to hunt. These Wigwam structures would be covered in birch bark. In the summer months, housing varied, but was usually an oblong-like structure.
Clothing-wise, women would wear dresses with fringe, as well as robes of fur, to keep warm in the winter. The political & social lives were very relaxed, & flexible. Their social lives were primarily organized around family. Modernly, their population is estimated at 14,000. The tribe’s official website is https://www.wabanakialliance.com/mikmaq-nation/.
The Most Destructive Man-Caused & Natural Disasters To Affect The Bay Of Fundy
Disaster No. 1: The Flood Of 1869
In 1869, the one of the highest ocean levels on Earth was recorded in the Bay Of Fundy. This water level was caused by the Saxby Gale Hurricane, which hit the region on October 4th of 1869.
The storm caused the tides to rise to an astonishing 71 feet high, which has never been seen since. This flood damaged the local port, & affected many residential buildings. The hurricane caused 37 direct fatalities. This was by far, one of the most dangerous natural disasters to ever affect the Bay Of Fundy.
Directories / Credits
Citation No. 1: “The Bay Of Fundy”, Written by Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Mining Association of Nova Scotia. Retrieval Date: November 6th, 2023.
Citation No. 2: “Saxby Gale - Maps & Stories”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Geographical Information Systems. Retrieval Date: November 7th, 2023.
Citation No. 3: “Bay of Fundy”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Retrieval Date: November 7th, 2023.
Citation No. 4: “Mi’kmaq”, Written by the Editors of Britannica, & Published on July 20th, 1998. Published by Britannica. Retrieval Date: November 7th, 2023.
Citation No. 5: “Mi’kmaw History - Overview”, Written by Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Mi’kmaw Spirit. Retrieval Date: November 7th, 2023.
Citation No. 6: “Bay of Fundy, Canada”, Written By Mahmut, & Last Updated September 7th of 2023. Published By Geology Science. Retrieval Date: November 7th, 2023.
Citation No. 7: “Bay of Fundy”, Written by Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by My Canada Trips. Retrieval Date: November 7th, 2023.
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