Sand worm tunnel in the sand on the bottom of the ocean.

Photo: Will Husby

Shores

The Terminal Creek Sand Flats

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Sand flats
A view from the south end of the Causeway across the sand flats at a very low tide in June 2021. The low tide exposes a high rim of beach sand and gravel, a middle zone of clay bed and boulder (see Clay Bed) and lower and broad sand flats deposited by Terminal Creek that extend underwater into Kwilákm . The flow of Terminal Creek has carved a channel to the deeper waters of Kwilákm. Photo: Len Gilday

The stream mouth of Terminal Creek, Bowen’s largest stream, flows across these tidal flats at a low tide. Terminal Creek drains one-third of the land on Bowen Island and carries not only its waters to the sea but also mud and sand. The mud is carried out to sea and settles in deep water, while the heavier sand is deposited near the shore. As a result, an extensive sheet of sand fills the river mouth area, creating a unique habitat for clams and other burrowing invertebrates.

Aerial view of sand flats

An aerial view of the sand flats taken at a very low tide in 2011. The Terminal Creek water pond behind the Causeway spills into a channel that is carved across the sand flats. The sand has been eroded by Terminal Creek from its watershed over thousands of years and carried to the sea where it has been deposited. The sand flats slope gently underwater out into Deep Bay, visible in this photo, where they have built a thick accumulation of sand. Geologists call the combined sand flats and the submarine sand pile a stream delta.

Sand flats exposed at low tide.
Sand flat exposed at low tide. The sand flats are extensively pock marked with small sand volcanoes that mark the siphon holes of clams or the burrows of animals such as ghost shrimp. The freshly erupted gray sand is distinct from a darker algal coating that covers the rest of the bottom at this location. Photo: Bob Turner
Sand volcanoes
Submerged sand flats with clam and shrimp holes. The density of the holes reflects the intense burrowing and rich life hosted by these shallow sands. Photo: Bob Turner
Seagulls harvesting sea stars
Gulls, harvesting sea stars at low tide. The sand flats at a low tide are a rich feeding ground for bird life. Photo:Will Husby