In June 2022, Cabox Aspiring Geopark arranged a Bay of Islands geology boat tour for Dr. John Waldron and some of his students at the University of Alberta.

Aboard Saltbox/Everoutdoor’s zodiac Elmastukwek operated by skipper Rob Thomas, the tour began with stops at the southeast end of Woods Island where one can find outcrops of sandstone and shale, mafic pillow lava, and a mixed formation of mélange.

From Woods Island the tour continued on to Eagle (aka Green) Island

which is partly composed of red sandstone, and belongs to the Western Brook Pond Group of geological formations.

The zodiac landed on the pebble beach at the eastern side of the island

which was blanketed with nesting seagulls and colorful wildflowers.

Of geological interest was a well-preserved slab of flute castes created by water flowing over shallow-water sedimentation.

Three kilometers northeast of Eagle (Green) Island is North Arm Point between Middle and North Arms of the bay, which also contains a stretch of red sandstone from the Eagle Island Formation.

The entire coastline south to Northern (aka Big) Head, then east to Seal Head, is composed of uncountable layers of folded and faulted shale and limestone, part of the Cook’s Brook and Middle Arm Point Formations of the Cow Head Group.

Though there was still plenty of interesting geological formations to see, the wind started to pick up and it was time to head back to the marina in Corner Brook. However the tour was considered a success, as it filled in a little more of the complex geological story of the Bay of Islands region.