Cape Enrage Ripple Marks

October 07, 2005

Ripplemarks copy

Provided by: Heather Renyck, Milford High School, NH
Summary authors & editors: Heather Renyck

This photo was taken at the cliffs of Cape Enrage along the Coastal Fundy Drive in New Brunswick, Canada. The Carboniferous rocks found in this area contain many plant fossils including those from the genera Sigillaria and Calamites. However, shown here is a textbook example of sedimentary structures called ripple marks. Ripple marks are often found on surfaces of bedding planes or on modern sand deposits. They're thought to have formed by the oscillatory motion of water beneath waves -- although wind can also create them. Geologists use ripple marks to indicate the direction of the once moving currents.

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