ENVIRONMENT FEATURE
ON THE FOSSIL TRAIL
In 1916 , explorers discovered a marine fossil believed to be an Ichthyosaurus near the confluence of the Morrissey Creek and Elk River .
The fossil was removed and transferred to the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa . The unique nature of the earth ’ s formation in the Elk Valley means that much of the region ’ s younger Jurassic rock has been folded and twisted so that it is now sitting beneath Devonian marine material that is around 180 million years older than the rock on which it sits . This sedimentary material , once a shallow sea near the equator was slowly pushed north , bringing with it an array of fascinating fossils including trilobites and brachiopods . Eager-eyed hikers often find loose fossils lying on mountaintop trails within the Elk Valley .
In a tributary creek in the Coal Creek valley , a giant fossilized Ammonite ( Titanites occidentalis ) was first discovered by a geological mapping crew who were studying the Fernie Formation in 1947 . This fossil is the biggest of its kind ever to be found in Canada . Resembling today ’ s much smaller nautilus , they are extinct cephalopods , and more closely related to creatures such as octopus , squid and cuttlefish . The Fernie Ammonite is still in its original location ; however access routes were damaged during recent flooding and forestry activity and the fossil is
not currently accessible to the public . Work is currently underway to create an interpretive trail , which is expected to open in late summer or fall this year .
On July 21 , join naturalist guides at Fernie Alpine Resort for a fascinating Fossils & Geology Hike and be sure to check out Nature Bob ’ s Interpretive Centre at the top of the Elk Chair . The Sparwood Museum opened a new Dinosaur Exhibit in 2023 which details exciting discoveries and the story of migrating dinosaurs in the upper Elk Valley .
For more information about the geology of the East Kootenay Region : fossilhuntress . blogspot . com / 2023 / 01 / fossils-andgeology-of-east-kootenay . html
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