These valleys harbour economic deposits of silica sand, kaolin and mica. Results of drilling and seismic surveys in the Shubenacadie and Musquodoboit valleys of central Nova Scotia have indicated widespread distribution of kaolin and silica sand deposits. Look at a map of the distribution of known outliers , location of the study area, and generalized geology of Nova Scotia. This pit was believed to encompass all of the Cretaceous deposits until drilling on an adjacent drumlin revealed 600 feet of unconsolidated Mesozoic strata. A drillhole profile across the western end of the Elmsvale Basin can be viewed here .
Brecciated clay is found at the base of most cores in the Cretaceous basins.
Faults and slickenside surfaces can be found in the cores, indicating that these are tectonic breccias. They grade downcore into massive mudstone and siltstone. The natural gamma log demonstrates the textural cyclicity of the Chaswood Formation, with oscillations from coarse to fine sediment. The fine sediment contains potassium-bearing clay and mica responsible for increased radioactivity. The lack of correspondence between parts of the lithic log and the down-hole record can be attributed to poor core recovery in the sand.