Shaped by the Sea

Everything here is shaped by the ocean. The rhythms of the tides, the subsistence provided by the sea life, the immediacy of storms and even tourism shape the lives of the people who live here in Western Newfoundland. The other day, I visited a place where the rocks themselves are shaped by the water's movements.

The Arches Provincial Park is just north of Gros Morne. The rock is "Ordovician aged dolomitic conglomerate" and has been shaped into arches by the constant pounding of the waves. There used to be four arches but one collapsed. Now there are three. Eventually, they will all collapse.