Educational road trip for fossil hunters
Summer is approaching quickly, and with it comes all kinds of opportunities for outdoor fun. Road trips are a summer tradition for many students, but forget your traditional pilgrimages to summer concerts and festivals, and I recently went on a road trip to a place that I must recommend to everyone because it was so much fun.
If you are looking to do something fun and cheap (not to mention a little bit nerdy), fossil hunting at Rock Glen Conservation Area makes an excellent day trip.
The fossils are located in a gorge at the bottom of a beautiful waterfall, which flows over a large limestone outcrop and ends up in a clear, cool pool (perfect for taking a dip) at the bottom of the gorge. You are free to walk along the stream, climb on the rocks (at your own risk) and have a picnic anywhere within the grounds. The best part is that you are immediately able to find all kinds of Devonian Era fossils, which are up to 418 million years old. Many of the fossils are in great shape too!
The major groups of fossils that you will see include Trilobites, Brachiopods and Horn Corals. These fossils belong to the Widder and Hungry Hollow rock formations, which have been exposed due to the erosion of the rocks by the waterfall. These rock formations are composed of a limestone matrix containing many marine fossils, which were preserved when the organisms died. Each guest is welcome to take one specimen of each species, but digging for fossils is prohibited. The park provides more information on the fossils in the brochures that are given out at the gate.
There are many things to do at Rock Glen besides fossil hunting, including hiking, bird watching and taking pictures. The hiking trials are barrier free and there is a museum on site, which contains many fossils and Aboriginal artifacts.
I strongly recommend visiting Rock Glen Conservation area at least once this summer, and be sure to bring a picnic lunch when you go, because you will definitely want to stay all day.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
If you are looking to do something fun and cheap (not to mention a little bit nerdy), fossil hunting at Rock Glen Conservation Area makes an excellent day trip.
The fossils are located in a gorge at the bottom of a beautiful waterfall, which flows over a large limestone outcrop and ends up in a clear, cool pool (perfect for taking a dip) at the bottom of the gorge. You are free to walk along the stream, climb on the rocks (at your own risk) and have a picnic anywhere within the grounds. The best part is that you are immediately able to find all kinds of Devonian Era fossils, which are up to 418 million years old. Many of the fossils are in great shape too!
The major groups of fossils that you will see include Trilobites, Brachiopods and Horn Corals. These fossils belong to the Widder and Hungry Hollow rock formations, which have been exposed due to the erosion of the rocks by the waterfall. These rock formations are composed of a limestone matrix containing many marine fossils, which were preserved when the organisms died. Each guest is welcome to take one specimen of each species, but digging for fossils is prohibited. The park provides more information on the fossils in the brochures that are given out at the gate.
There are many things to do at Rock Glen besides fossil hunting, including hiking, bird watching and taking pictures. The hiking trials are barrier free and there is a museum on site, which contains many fossils and Aboriginal artifacts.
I strongly recommend visiting Rock Glen Conservation area at least once this summer, and be sure to bring a picnic lunch when you go, because you will definitely want to stay all day.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
