Teacup Rock, formerly located about 66 kilometres from Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, was one of the most photographed rock formations on the island and had been there for decades. It was best viewed early in the morning, when the water was calm and the sun was low in the sky. Teacup Rock was an extremely fragile sandstone formation. It was destroyed by the fury of Hurricane Fiona.
About Sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed primarily of silicate grains the size of sand (0.0625 to 2 mm). Sandstones account for 20-25% of all sedimentary rocks. The majority of sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) because they are the most resistant minerals to weathering processes at the Earth’s surface. Sandstone, like uncemented sand, can be any colour due to impurities within the minerals, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow, red, grey, pink, white, and black. Because sandstone beds frequently form highly visible cliffs and other topographic features, certain colours of sandstone have been strongly associated with specific regions.
Hurricane Fiona wreaked havoc on parts of the Caribbean and Bermuda before moving north to Atlantic Canada. It made landfall as a post-tropical cyclone, bringing heavy rains and winds of up to 110 mph, knocking down and uprooting trees and power lines, causing thousands of dollars in damage, particularly in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. Thousands of people lost power, and emergency crews and utility workers were dispatched to begin the cleanup. At least three people have died.
Read The Scuba News Article on TeaCup Rock
The most widespread damage occurred in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and Port aux Basques, a small town on the southwestern tip of Newfoundland.
Donations to the Canadian Red Cross fundraiser have surpassed C$20 million, and the federal government will match donations for the next 30 days.
Thank you Mike LeClair for submitting his TeaCup Rock image. Mike is asking people to share their TeaCup Rock photos and memories on his Facebook Page. His goal is to have 2,022 photos to commemorate the loss of TeaCup Rock during Hurricane Fiona. See a full gallery of pictures here
Thank you also to Dale Paynter for his before and after hurricane Fiona pictures of TeaCup rock.