Nugget Point Lighthouse, New Zealand
Built in 1869-70, Nugget Point lighthouse was constructed using locally quarried stone. My memory of this prominent cape, is of the colony of fur seals frolicking in the surf, and sleeping on the rocks. Here seals, sea lions and elephant seals all in this precinct. There is alo a small breeding colony of gannets along with many sooty shearwater. Dolphins also swim in close to the base of the cliffs.
The walk is special, and photography is particularly special early in the morning, at sunset or during the night.
As for geology, there is an interesting story dating from pre Jurassic period.
Geocaching.com provides an outline of this geology: The bedrock of the Catlins was laid down during the Jurassic and Triassic periods. During that time, the area was a shallow sea close to the edge of the Gondwanaland super-continent, of which old sections of New Zealand were still a part.
The geology of Nugget Point is predominantly sandstone, mudstone and siltstone that was formed by the gradual deposition of sediment from the ocean.
The rocks were initially laid down horizontally and then were subjected to a period of approximately 50 million years of geological uplift, folding and faulting. A syncline formed in this area, which now dips into the ocean here. For the past approximately 80 million years, the area has been relatively geologically stable, but fluvial and marine erosion has shaped the ridges and valleys and the coastline of cliffs and bays.
Fault lines are visible in the cliffs at Nugget Point. The ocean waves have exploited the faults in this cliffed coast- evidence of the massive upheaval that occurred within the bedrock. Many shell fossils from the Jurassic era have been retained in the rocks.
Nugget Point Lighthouse, New Zealand
Built in 1869-70, Nugget Point lighthouse was constructed using locally quarried stone. My memory of this prominent cape, is of the colony of fur seals frolicking in the surf, and sleeping on the rocks. Here seals, sea lions and elephant seals all in this precinct. There is alo a small breeding colony of gannets along with many sooty shearwater. Dolphins also swim in close to the base of the cliffs.
The walk is special, and photography is particularly special early in the morning, at sunset or during the night.
As for geology, there is an interesting story dating from pre Jurassic period.
Geocaching.com provides an outline of this geology: The bedrock of the Catlins was laid down during the Jurassic and Triassic periods. During that time, the area was a shallow sea close to the edge of the Gondwanaland super-continent, of which old sections of New Zealand were still a part.
The geology of Nugget Point is predominantly sandstone, mudstone and siltstone that was formed by the gradual deposition of sediment from the ocean.
The rocks were initially laid down horizontally and then were subjected to a period of approximately 50 million years of geological uplift, folding and faulting. A syncline formed in this area, which now dips into the ocean here. For the past approximately 80 million years, the area has been relatively geologically stable, but fluvial and marine erosion has shaped the ridges and valleys and the coastline of cliffs and bays.
Fault lines are visible in the cliffs at Nugget Point. The ocean waves have exploited the faults in this cliffed coast- evidence of the massive upheaval that occurred within the bedrock. Many shell fossils from the Jurassic era have been retained in the rocks.