The volcanic ash deposits or tuff found in coastal rocks around Louisbourg Lighthouse in Cape Breton show subtle colour banding. Originally, ash from volcanic eruptions fell into lakes occupying the valleys around the volcanoes, and accumulated in horizontal layers, each representing an individual eruption event. The colours of the ash layers differed slightly according to the content and the temperature. When ash remained very hot on its journey through the air from the volcanic vent, the particles often melted together on landing, forming welded tuff. Welded tuff has a purple colour instead of the more normal shades of grey. We can see the layers as colour bands because we now see the layers of consolidated ash in cross-section. The layers were originally deposited in horizontal beds in water. Over the great period of time that has elapsed since deposition (575 million years) earth movements have brought the layers into an almost vertical orientation so that they are now viewed end on.
The textures are varied but in a quiet way with combinations of different sized fragments and changes of hue in the finer ash and small pyroclastic rock pieces. One of the images below shows an example of a volcanic bomb. This was in the first instance a glob of molten lava that was spewed from the vent along with the ash, becoming rounded in shape as it fell through the air, and then landing and forming a depression in the soft ash surface. Subsequent ash falls buried it.
[We stayed at the most excellent Louisbourg Harbour Inn while we explored this part of Cape Breton Island.]
