The Rock Glen Conservation Area is rich in fossils.
The modern word "fossil" means physical evidence of former life before human history began being recorded. Fossils can be remains of a creature, imprints or preserved signs of movement. Fossils are formed during complex processes that allow for the preservation of living things within the geological record, most often in sedimentary rock, which is formed in layers.
The Rock Glen Conservation Area in Ontario, Canada, is a rich source of Devonian Era fossils that visitors can see on display and even hunt for themselves.
Fossils on Display
The Rock Glen Conservation Area in Ontario, Canada, is a 67-acre preserved area with nature trails and water falls cascading for 36 feet. The area is best known for its rich fossil deposits. The Arkona Lions Museum within the Rock Glen Conservation Area has fossils as old as 400 million years. Visitors to the Arkona Lions Museum can see specimens of Devonian Era fossils such as trilobites, brachiopods and crinoids.
Fossil Hunting
Visitors have also founds fossils in exposed beds that can be reached by hiking trails, stairs, boardwalks and a bridge. Rock Glen Gorge, at the bottom of the scenic Rock Glen Falls, is an excellent source for fossil finds. In addition to smaller trilobites, brachiopods and crinoids, larger mammal bone fossils, such as those of squirrels, mice, three-toed horses and rabbits have been found. An archeologist also found a fossilized tusk from what is believed to have been a mastodon.
Local archeological digs take place in the area, and may be opened up to tourists in the future.
Find Fossils
Generally, fossils are found in sedimentary rock, with oldest fossils found in the bottom layer. To find fossils along creek beds and banks, start at the bottom of the creek. Search for pieces of bone first, and follow the pieces up the creek, looking for larger pieces as you move up the creek. When pieces of bone stop appearing, examine the banks for fossils. Rock Glen is known to be rich in fossil deposits, especially in the area of Rock Glen Gorge, and makes an easy place to find fossils.
History
About 600 million years ago, rain and wind washed sediment from the rocky area around what is now Rock Glen into a shallow sea. Millions of invertebrates, such as trilobites, lived in the sea. The sea eventually retreated, but two more seas submerged the area through the next 200 million years, during a time of abundant sea life. The Wisconsin Glacier covered Ontario about 1 million years ago; as it advanced, it pushed up the earth and created layers. The glacier retreated from the area about 16,000 years ago, creating Lake Arkona, a glacial lake. About 10,000 years ago, a strong earthquake shook the area, causing a section of the bedrock to drop and creating a gorge, unearthing the rich fossil deposits that have made the area famous.
Cost and Contact Information
Entrance fees are $5 Canadian for each vehicle and all of its occupants. Guided hikes and educational programs are available.
Rock Glen Conservation Area
8680 Rock Glen Road
Arkona, ON
Canada
1-519-828-3071
Tags: Rock Glen, Conservation Area, Glen Conservation, Glen Conservation Area, Rock Glen Conservation, million years
