Geology of Caulfield Park and the coastline of Burrard Inlet

A joint event for Lighthouse Park Preservation Society and Nature Vancouver. Membership in these societies not required.

Trip Leader: David Cook, Geologist, P.Eng., FGAC

When: Tuesday, July 30 2019 at 10:00 am
Meeting location: 10:00 am at the anchor in Caulfeild Park, West Vancouver. The approach roads off Marine Drive are The Dale, then Piccadilly Street South, then Dogwood Lane, then Pilot House Road. With the exception of The Dale all those streets are one way. For those travelling by bus use the 250 Horseshoe Bay bus and alight at The Dale bus stop on Marine Drive.
Duration: 2 to 3 hours.
Terrain & Elevation gain: Uneven on rocky seaside bluffs. No trails on the rock bluffs which are where the main points of interest are located. Stairway to the sandy beach is 10 metres. Otherwise no significant elevation changes.
Length of walk: 1.5 kilometres return. Slow walking with many stops. Nature Vancouver difficulty rating: B rating. See www.naturevancouver.ca for description of difficulty ratings.

Event description: The unusual geology visible in the ice-smoothed rocks along the shoreline bluffs of Caulfeild Park will be explained. These rocks clearly illustrate how about 200 million years ago older rocks formed by volcanic activity offshore were brought by plate tectonics and then transformed by a process called granitization. Geologists consider this site of great value in illustrating some of the processes that took place during the formation of granitic rocks that now make up most of the North Shore mountains. The value of this site will hopefully be recognized in the future by its recognition as a Geoheritage Site. We will also observe the geology and land forms around the Outer Harbour of Burrard Inlet that are visible from Caulfeild Park.

Registration: Because of a need to limit the size of the group and because the event may be rescheduled due to weather, registration is required. Contact David at cookeco2@yahoo.com.

A Stroll through Vancouver’s Geological History

A free joint event for the Geological Association of Canada (Cordilleran Section) and Nature Vancouver

Trip Leader: David Cook

When: Sunday, August 11 2019 at 9:00 am
Meeting location: Meet at the concession stand, Third Beach parking lot, Stanley Park. The parking lot is accessed by taking the north fork in the road leading to the Teahouse Restaurant
Duration: 3 to 4 hours. There is a parking fee so allow time for the return walk.
Terrain: Flat along the walking/cycling path of the sea-wall.
Elevation gain: Nil.

Event description: This will be a low-paced walk along the sea-wall of Stanley Park to learn about the geology of the Vancouver area. The distance will be 4 km return. See how 40 to 70 million year old rivers laid down sand, silt, clay and minor coal that underlie Vancouver. Other features will be giant boulders stranded by the retreating ice; basalts that may be the roots of volcanoes long eroded away; concretions formed within the sandstone and wave-cut notches in the cliff-face formed when the sea-level was higher. Low tide at the time of our walk will reveal other features such as wave-cut platforms formed by wave action over the last 5000 years, and see how First Nations peoples made use of the boulders left by the glaciers to make fish traps. Looking across Burrard Inlet we will see much older features that formed and shaped the North Shore mountains and beyond.

Registration: Because of a need to limit the size of the group and because the event may be rescheduled due to weather, registration is required. Contact David at cookeco2@yahoo.com.