Coalfields west half Cumberland county Nova Scotia

Joggins, Nova Scotia, was one of the first places in North America where coal was mined. Dendrochronological methods were employed to date timber pit props preserved within relic coal mine workings on the closely adjacent Fundy and Dirty seams. These remains comprise a system of "openings" that represent formerly underground mines, now exposed by cliff retreat. Of the seventy-three samples collected, forty-eight were successfully cross-dated into floating chronologies and then compared against a local red spruce (Picea rubens) master chronology, thereby establishing the year in which each individual sample was cut as a live tree where bark was present. Results indicate cutting dates of 1849-1875, which are generally consistent with archival records of mining activity.

Section: Historical Validation Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sample Identification Codementioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dendrochronological dating of coal mine workings at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, Nova Scotia, Canada

Quann

Young

Laroque

et al. 2010

“…When Jackson and Alger (1829, p. 149) reconnoitred the Joggins shoreline in 1829 they encountered a "shaft filled in with earth and rubbish" at the level of the Fundy Seam. Furthermore Copeland (1958) mentioned seeing an historic map showing "old French workings" (p. 7) on the Fundy Seam, but gave no details. In view of these observations, it is likely that Acadian workings were visible in the Fundy Seam until the early nineteenth century, but have subsequently been either destroyed by cliff erosion or reworked by later mining activity.…”

confidence: 99%

Earliest history of coal mining and grindstone quarrying at Joggins, Nova Scotia, and its implications for the meaning of the place name “Joggins”

Falcon-Lang

2009

The rich history of coal mining and grindstone quarrying at Joggins, Nova Scotia, prior to Lyell's visit in 1842 is less well known than its subsequent history. Franquelin first observed coal there in 1686, and within little more than a decade Acadian coal mines had sprung up at the Coal Cliffs. Following the British acquisition of Nova Scotia in 1713, the coal mines attracted Captain Belcher and other New England traders, who loaded their ships with coal for sale in Boston. In 1731, eager to impose duty on this unregulated trade, the Nova Scotia Council sponsored a British coal mine at Joggins operated by Major Cope. Unable to safely load ships at the Coal Cliffs, Cope constructed a wharf and coal depot at Gran'choggin (present-day Downing Cove), seven miles to the north of the mine. It was by association with this depot that the Coal Cliffs later became known as Joggins. Cope's coal mine survived less than eighteen months before the Mi'kmaq, aided and abetted by Acadians, destroyed the site in 1732. Following this episode, Acadians worked the Joggins coal mines until they fell under the control of British forces engaged in the Seven Years War in 1756. Subsequently, the Lords of Trade suppressed coal mining at Joggins, fearing it would harm British imports, and full-scale operations did not recommence until 1847. During this lull, the grindstone industry boomed. Beginning sometime before 1764, the principal stone quarries operated at Lower Cove, where the famous Blue-Grit was cut. Grindstone quarries were also worked on the Maringouin Peninsula and the two opposing sides of Chignecto Bay became known as the North and South Joggins.

“…He later restricted the definition to include all of Division 6 and 282 feet 6 inches (86.1 m) of largely concealed section at the top of Division 7 (Bell 1943). This definition remained largely unchanged through decades of mapping and scrutiny (Copeland 1959;Belt 1964;Kelley 1967;Howie and Barss 1975 et al (1991) revised the definition of the Boss Point Formation to include the upper and lower redbeds so that it once again coincided with Logan's (1845) Division 6. Although never formally defined, the redbeds and distinctive channel bodies near the top of the formation (above 951.7 m in our section) were identified as the "North Reef member" in their figures and diagrams (Table 1).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sedimentology and stratigraphy of the type section of the Pennsylvanian Boss Point Formation, Joggins Fossil Cliffs, Nova Scotia, Canada

Rygel

Lally

Gibling

et al. 2015

The 1125-m-thick type section of the Pennsylvanian Boss Point Formation is well exposed along the shore of the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia. We provide the first comprehensive account of the entirety of this formation, which comprises nearly one-third of the stratigraphic thickness of the Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site. The basal Chignecto Bay Member (0-91.5 m) is composed of redbeds, single-storey channel bodies with northerly paleoflow, and thin palustrine limestones. The middle Ward Point Member (91.5-951.7 m) contains up to 16 megacycles composed of alternations between thick packages of braided fluvial sandstone and fine-grained deposits. Although regional studies of the Boss Point Formation suggest that the fine-grained deposits are largely composed of lacustrine sediments, these intervals consist largely of poorly drained and well-drained floodplain deposits in the type section. The facies variations and southeast-directed paleoflow in the Ward Point Member record modest uplift associated with the growth of the salt-cored Minudie Anticline. The North Reef Member (951.7-1125 m) is composed of redbeds and two distinctive multistorey channel bodies. This uppermost member records a shift to more arid, oxidizing conditions, was the precursor to a major phase of salt withdrawal, and represents a transition to the overlying Little River Formation. The sedimentological framework, revised stratigraphy, and detailed measured section and map will provide a foundation for future study of this remarkable Pennsylvanian exposure.