Punchbowl Cove
The Sea Bird entered Behm Canal early on June 2 and steamed past the imposing 234 foot edifice of New Eddystone Rock about 6:30 am. The sub vertical volcanic neck, or eroded magma conduit, was clearly seen, even though low clouds shrouded the hills and mountains of Misty Fiords National Monument. We entered the narrow entrance to Rudyerd Bay and turned into Punchbowl Cove after breakfast. Soon after anchoring, we spotted three brown bears along the shore nearby. The mother and two young cubs treated us to wonderful views as they wandered through the grasses above the beach. At 9:00 am the Sea Bird was greeted by a floatplane carrying U.S. Immigration officers to check us into the U.S. after our journey through British Columbia. Following our visit from the Immigration Officers, we split into groups for Zodiac and kayak tours around the beautiful cove. The imposing 3,000-foot cliffs on the north shore of the cove framed our view as we enjoyed the summer weather of sun mixed with showers. These vertical cliffs are part of an amazingly long group of plutonic igneous rocks known as the Coast Plutonic Complex sill, which forms the western edge of the Coast Plutonic Complex for a distance of over 700 km (420 miles) from south of Ketchikan to Skagway. The Coast Plutonic Complex sill comprises individual bodies of tonalite and granodiorite known as plutons, each of which crystallized from molten silicate rock or magma deep beneath the surface. Geologists have used the chemistry of hornblende – a common igneous mineral – to determine that plutons in the Coast Plutonic Complex sill solidified or crystallized at depths of 20 to 30 km (12 to 18 miles). The beautiful cliffs along the north of Punchbowl Cove are broken by sub vertical regularly spaced fractures known as joints.
The Sea Bird entered Behm Canal early on June 2 and steamed past the imposing 234 foot edifice of New Eddystone Rock about 6:30 am. The sub vertical volcanic neck, or eroded magma conduit, was clearly seen, even though low clouds shrouded the hills and mountains of Misty Fiords National Monument. We entered the narrow entrance to Rudyerd Bay and turned into Punchbowl Cove after breakfast. Soon after anchoring, we spotted three brown bears along the shore nearby. The mother and two young cubs treated us to wonderful views as they wandered through the grasses above the beach. At 9:00 am the Sea Bird was greeted by a floatplane carrying U.S. Immigration officers to check us into the U.S. after our journey through British Columbia. Following our visit from the Immigration Officers, we split into groups for Zodiac and kayak tours around the beautiful cove. The imposing 3,000-foot cliffs on the north shore of the cove framed our view as we enjoyed the summer weather of sun mixed with showers. These vertical cliffs are part of an amazingly long group of plutonic igneous rocks known as the Coast Plutonic Complex sill, which forms the western edge of the Coast Plutonic Complex for a distance of over 700 km (420 miles) from south of Ketchikan to Skagway. The Coast Plutonic Complex sill comprises individual bodies of tonalite and granodiorite known as plutons, each of which crystallized from molten silicate rock or magma deep beneath the surface. Geologists have used the chemistry of hornblende – a common igneous mineral – to determine that plutons in the Coast Plutonic Complex sill solidified or crystallized at depths of 20 to 30 km (12 to 18 miles). The beautiful cliffs along the north of Punchbowl Cove are broken by sub vertical regularly spaced fractures known as joints.