The Annapolis Image
This CV-580 radar image set of the geographic area of Digby and Annapolis Counties, 
Nova Scotia, exhibits a wide range of geological features which have shaped the 
region into an area of varying landscapes and ranging uses. From top-to-bottom, the
 image starts with the Bay of Fundy, known for the world's highest tides, where the
 water level can raise well over 13 meters from low to high tide. The coast line is
 defined by the edge of the North Mountain, the result of basaltic lavas which welled 
up over 175 million years ago. The red land-ocean boundary shows the breaking waves 
upon a bare-rock beach. Evidence of the significant erosion that continues to shape 
the region can be seen by the numerous channels and gullies which run north to the 
Bay and south to the Valley. The steep cliff-like edge of the ancient basaltic 
outflow is visible as a bright region at the North Mountain - Annapolis Valley 
boundary. Along the centre of the image, the Annapolis River winds its way from 
right-to-left, emptying into the Annapolis Basin which opens to the Bay of Fundy
 through Digby Gut, the narrow cliff faced channel near the upper left of the 
image. The Annapolis Valley, through which the Annapolis River flows, is home to
 a number of small villages and towns, from Lawrencetown on the far right (home 
of the Centre of Geographical Studies and the Annapolis Valley Exhibition) to 
Paradise (with its distinctive Paradise Golf Club) to Annapolis at the centre-left
 (home of the only operational tidal power plant - easily visible where the Annapolis 
River joins the Basin) to the maritime community of Digby on the upper left (note 
the wharfs where the scallop fleet dock each night). Several fields are easily 
noted along the valley, where a mix of agricultural crop and cattle farms support 
the local economies. The Trans Canada Highway runs along the Valley, crossing the 
Annapolis River at Bridgetown. To the south of the Valley is found the mixed-wood 
forests and farms of the South Mountain. Several streams, lakes, and still-waters 
in this region support tourism through fishing and other outdoor activities, as 
well as acting as natural filters to purify the waters flowing into the Annapolis 
River. Increased pH levels over the past few decades have resulted in a sizeable 
decrease in the aquatic populations of these habitats, a significant concern to 
the local population.