scholarly journals Forensic igneous petrology: locating the source quarry for the “black granite" Titanic headstones in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 087-114
Author(s):  
D. Barrie Clarke ◽  
Christopher R.M. McFarlane ◽  
David Hamilton ◽  
David Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Chemical Compositions ◽  
Dimension Stone ◽  
Forensic Evidence ◽  
Igneous Petrology ◽  
Temporal Properties ◽  
Textural Parameters ◽  
The Right

In Halifax, Nova Scotia, 149 victims of the 1912 sinking of the Titanic lie beneath petrologically identical "black granite" headstones. Those headstones, supplied by the White Star Line, arrived in Halifax in late 1912, but no known historical document reveals their source. They consist of medium- to coarse-grained olivine-bearing gabbro, with cumulus phases consisting of randomly oriented euhedral plagioclase laths, corroded olivine, and titaniferous magnetite, and intercumulus material consisting of augite with reaction rims of hornblende, both of which are variably altered to actinolite and biotite. Three types of forensic evidence [quantitative – radiometric age of 422.1 ± 1.3 Ma (n = 17), mean olivine FeO/(FeO + MgO) values ranging from 0.43 to 0.46, augite rim trace- element compositions (35 elements), and whole-rock chemical compositions (48 elements), including statistical analysis of all these data showing no significant differences between the headstones and their putative source quarry; qualitative – mineral assemblages, modal proportions, textural parameters, style and degree of alteration; and circumstantial – regional reputation, quarrying history, local logistics, regional transportation, McGrattan marker] connect the Titanic headstones to the Saint George Batholith in southwestern New Brunswick. Precise matching of any dimension stone to its source quarry is problematic, because that material connects only to a void in the quarry. Ideally, all physical-chemical-temporal properties of the dimension stone and source quarry should match, both quantitatively and qualitatively, but in reality only the ages must almost certainly match. Thus it is remotely possible for the right quarry to mismatch most of the properties of the dimension stone, and for a wrong quarry to match most of the properties of the dimension stone. However, in the case of the Titanic headstones, the cumulative weight of all the quantitative, qualitative, and circumstantial evidence, combined with a process of elimination and application of Ockham’s razor, indicate that the Charles Hanson quarry near Bocabec, southwestern New Brunswick, is the likely source for the gabbroic Titanic headstones in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

40Ar/39Ar ages of detrital muscovite within Lower Cambrian and Carboniferous clastic sequences in northern Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick: implications for provenance regions

1997 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Dallmeyer ◽  
J. D. Keppie ◽  
R. D. Nance
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Lower Cambrian ◽  
Source Region ◽  
Regional Distribution ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Cape Breton Island ◽  
Late Proterozoic ◽  
Cape Breton ◽  
Meguma Terrane

Detrital muscovite from lowermost Cambrian sequences exposed in the Avalon Composite Terrane in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick record 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages of ca. 625–600 Ma. These are interpreted to date times of cooling in source areas. The regional distribution of coarse-grained detrital muscovite in Lower Cambrian rocks of Avalonian overstep sequences suggests a source region of dimensions considerably larger than any presently exposed in Appalachian segments of the Avalon Composite Terrane. Late Proterozoic tectonic reconstructions locate the Avalon Composite Terrane adjacent to northwestern South America, thereby suggesting a possible source within Late Proterozoic PanAfrican – Brasiliano orogens. Detrital muscovite from clastic sequences of the proximally derived, Lower Carboniferous (Tournaisian) Horton Group and the more distal Upper Carboniferous (Westphalian D – Stephanian) Pictou Group in Nova Scotia records 40Ar/39Ar spectra that define plateau ages of ca. 390–380 Ma (Horton Group) and and ca. 370 Ma (Pictou Group). Finer grained fractions from samples of the Horton Group display more internally discordant age spectra defining total-gas ages of ca. 397–395 Ma. A provenance for the finer muscovite may be found in southern Nova Scotia where Cambrian–Ordovician turbidites of the Meguma Group display a regionally developed micaceous cleavage of this age. The ca. 390–380 Ma detrital muscovites probably were derived from granite stocks presently exposed in proximal areas of northernmost Cape Breton Island. A more distal source for the ca. 370 Ma detrital muscovites in the Pictou Group is suggested by its original extensive distribution, although a local, possibly recycled, source may also have been present. The presence of only 400–370 Ma detrital muscovite suggests a rapidly exhumed orogenic source with characteristics similar to those of crystalline rocks presently exposed in the Cape Breton Highlands and (or) the Meguma Terrane.

scholarly journals Lobster Tales: Narratives of Food, Past, and Place in Maritime Canada

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 0
Author(s):  
Diane Tye
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Regional Identity ◽  
Maritime Provinces ◽  
Real Place ◽  
Contested Meanings ◽  
Maritime Canada ◽  
The Right

In Canada’s Maritime Provinces, lobster is the food of tourism. Featured in countless guidebooks, cookbooks and restaurant ads, lobster beckons visitors to the region. Later, represented in as many forms as souvenirs, it signifies their trip, offering tangible proof that they have experienced–and tasted–the “real” place. However, as George Lewis (1989) argues is the case in Maine, residents of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have their own understandings. Here I explore two generalized narratives widespread in Maritime oral tradition: that lobster was used by farmers as fertilizer on fields and that its consumption once was associated with shame, signaling as it did that a family had nothing else to eat. In considering the contested meanings surrounding lobster’s recontextualization from a food of poverty to a regional delicacy, I suggest that Maritimers’ knowledge of lobster’s earlier working class associations, as well as of the “right” way to cook and eat lobster, acts not only as a marker of socio-economic difference but as an indicator of Pierre Bourdieu’s notion of distinction (1984) that is intricately linked to constructions of regional identity.

Labradorite gemstones and related ornamental stones from the type area on the coast of Nunatsiavut (Labrador), Canada

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Kerr
Keyword(s):  
Northern Region ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Dimension Stone ◽  
Plagioclase Feldspar ◽  
Future Production ◽  
Type Area ◽  
Trade Name ◽  
Ornamental Stones ◽  
Rocky Coast ◽  
The Right

<p>Labradorite is an unusual gemstone in many respects, despite being a variety of plagioclase feldspar, probably the most common mineral in the Earth’s crust. Calcic plagioclase is common in mafic igneous rocks, especially gabbros, norites, troctolites and anorthosites, but it is generally unremarkable in appearance. However, gem labradorite exhibits striking colours on cleavage surfaces when viewed from exactly the right direction. Intense blues and greens are most common, but shades of brown, yellow and red also occur. This phenomenon results from optical interference effects caused by microscopic exsolution lamellae that have very specific and consistent thicknesses. This special type of iridescence is termed ‘labradorescence’ because it is very specific to this mineral. Labradorite was one of the earliest gemstones to be recognized in Canada, first collected by a Moravian missionary around 1773, and named by the famous mineralogist Abraham Werner in 1780. However, it was noted long before this, as there is an Inuit legend about the Northern Lights becoming imprisoned on the rocky coast of Labrador. The typical blue and green colours of the stone are indeed reminiscent of the auroral displays for which the region is famous.</p><p> </p><p>            In its type area around the town of Nain, labradorite is hosted by massive anorthositic rocks that are regionally extensive. The anorthosites generally contain > 90% plagioclase, with lesser pyroxene, olivine and Fe-Ti oxides. Labradorescence is variably present in the feldspars, and small pockets of bright colour occur sporadically within otherwise unremarkable rocks at many locations. More extensive gem-quality labradorite is associated with very coarse-grained (pegmatitic) zones, and several attempts at exploiting such material were made at a location now known as Tabor Island. Another well-known location in an inland area is appropriately known as “the Pearly Gates”, but this remains unexploited.  Coarse- grained, equigranular anorthosite containing 5-20% iridescent feldspar was quarried for dimension stone near Nain intermittently for about 20 years, and was marketed under the trade name ‘Blue Eyes’. Much potential remains for future production of stone of this general type in the Nain area, although the remote location and climate present logistical challenges.</p><p> </p><p>                Labradorite also occurs in many other places, and sources of significance include Norway, Finland, Australia and the island of Madagascar. Scandinavia is famous for the dimension stone known as Larvikite or “Blue Pearl”. This is a feldspar-rich monzonite that contains much iridescent plagioclase, but is darker in colour than typical Labrador anorthosites. Madagascar provides much of the material now used for craft purposes, even in the northern region where the mineral was first recognized. However, labradorite-rich stones are now being used by Inuit carvers, in addition to more traditional materials such as soapstone and serpentinite.</p>

The Hillsborough, New Brunswick, mastodon and comments on other Pleistocene mastodon fossils from Nova Scotia

1993 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1242-1253 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Harington ◽  
D. R. Grant ◽  
R. J. Mott
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Postcranial Skeleton ◽  
Last Interglacial ◽  
Carbonate Cement ◽  
Molar Teeth ◽  
The Right ◽  
Mammut Americanum

This is the first detailed description of the remains of a young adult American mastodon (Mammut americanum) found in 1936 in peaty silt and clay underlying till in gypsum karst near Hillsborough, New Brunswick. It documents 312 fossils comprising a partial skull with molar teeth and tusks, a neck vertebra, and much of the right postcranial skeleton. An individual age of 15 – 18 years and a weight of 8.3 t are estimated for this mastodon. Associated spheroids, containing cut wood fragments and an unusually high clay content, are interpreted to be mastodon coprolites. Radiocarbon ages are 13 600 ± 200 (bone), 37 200 ± 1 310 (coprolite wood), 51 500 ± 1 270 (coprolite carbonate cement), and >43 000 BP (peat). Pollen in the coprolites and associated sediment indicates a coniferous forest. Nine other mastodon fossils from Nova Scotia include a femur from Middle River, which dates 31 300 ± 500 BP and contains pollen representing boreal forest – tundra, and three molars from offshore Georges Bank. All ages are judged minimal: the older four are at or near the limit of the method; the younger is likely incorrect because of preservative contamination. Associated pollen assemblages correlate with late last interglacial age deposits in the region and differ from possible Middle Wisconsinan age deposits. The fossils are regarded as a single group and are assigned to a cool phase of the Sangamonian interglaciation, probably oxygen-isotope substage 5a, prior to Wisconsinan glaciation.

Organochlorine Residues in Brook Trout and Yellow Perch From New Brunswick and Nova Scotia (Canada) Lakes

1987 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-364
Author(s):  
R. Peterson ◽  
S. Ray
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Intensive Agriculture ◽  
Fish Tissues ◽  
North Central ◽  
Ddt Metabolites ◽  
Headwater Lakes

Abstract Brook trout and yellow perch collected while surveying New Brunswick and Nova Scotia headwater lakes were analyzed for DDT metabolites, chlordane, hexacyclohexane isomers, hexachlorobenzene, toxaphene and PCB’s. Concentrations of DDT metabolites were much higher from fish taken from lakes in north-central N.B. (200-700 ng/g wet wt) than from fish taken elsewhere (<10 ng/g). Seventy to 90% of the DDT metabolites was DDE. Chlordane (3-13 ng/g) was analyzed in seven trout, six of them from central N.B. areas with intensive agriculture. Isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane were in highest concentration from north-central N.B. (10-20 ng/g), eastern N.S. (5-15 ng/g) and southern N.B. (5-20 ng/g). In most cases, alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane) was the isomer in highest concentration. Concentrations of hexachlorobenzene in fish tissues was highly variable with no obvious geographic bias. PCB’s were detected in very few fish, and no toxaphene was detected.

Pollen evidence for the postglacial origins of Nova Scotia's forests

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 1163-1179 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Green
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
New England ◽  
Ice Sheets ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Local Environments ◽  
Pollen Diagrams ◽  
Propagule Dispersal ◽  
Coastal Shelf ◽  
Maritime Canada

Pollen diagrams from sites in southwest Nova Scotia and close to the New Brunswick – Nova Scotia border show that after retreat of the Wisconsin ice sheets, most tree taxa arrived in the extreme southwest of Nova Scotia earlier than anywhere else in the province. For most tree taxa, arrival times at sites in maritime Canada and in northeastern New England are consistent with very early dispersal of individuals along the coastal strip via the exposed coastal shelf and with their entering Nova Scotia from the southwest. These scattered pioneer populations acted as centres for major population expansions, which followed much later in some cases. Local environments, fire, and interspecies competition appear to have been more important than propagule dispersal rates as factors limiting the spread of most taxa.

CARCASS COMPOSITION OF YORKSHIRE BARROWS AND GILTS SLAUGHTERED BETWEEN 85 and 112 KG BODY WEIGHT

1982 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANDRÉ FORTIN
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Carcass Composition ◽  
Chemical Compositions ◽  
Ether Extract ◽  
Protein Percentage ◽  
Slaughter Weight ◽  
Yorkshire Pigs ◽  
Intermuscular Fat ◽  
The Right ◽  
Physical And Chemical

Thirty-two Yorkshire pigs, 16 barrows and 16 gilts, were slaughtered at four weights (85, 92, 103 and 112 kg) to determine the effect of body weight at slaughter on the physical and chemical composition of the carcass. The right side was dissected into meat (including intra- and intermuscular fat), separable fat and bone which were subsequently analyzed for moisture, protein (N × 6.25), ether extract and ash. Sex did not influence (P < 0.05) carcass composition at any of the four slaughter weights. Increasing slaughter weight did not markedly alter the meat percentage of the carcass side but decreased the percentage of bone (P < 0.01). A trend toward an increasing percentage of separable fat was confirmed by the use of the allometric function Y = aXb. The effect of slaughter weight was more pronounced on the chemical than on the physical composition of the carcass side especially with respect to protein percentage. The chemical compositions of the meat, separable fat and bone were also determined. The protein percentage of each of the three physically separable components of the carcass side decreased (P < 0.01) with increasing slaughter weight. The partitioning of the chemically determined components among meat, separable fat and bone was not influenced by sex or by slaughter weight. Key words: Carcass composition, swine, sex, slaughter weight

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