Fossils are surprisingly common in the Ottawa Valley and often very easy to get, you just need to know where and how to look. Rock cuts are fabulous places to check, and especially along highway 17 right beside the Muskrat river at the bottom of Meath hill there are several fabulous limestone rock cuts that are just plastered with fossils. Check it out and see if you can find the fossilized Coral Reef in the rock cut – then ask yourself a question: “How did this Coral Reef get here?”
There is no ocean for quite a few many miles from this site, yet here is coral. Leftovers from a global flood perhaps?
The shoulder of a busy highway is a LOUSY place to do a fossil hunt with a family. I am looking for someone in the Pembroke area who might be willing to host a family fun-dig for fossils. All you need is a limestone shelf. If you have rock on your property that looks something the colour of concrete, you probably have limestone. A small cliff would be perfect, or a really secluded rock cut is by far the best.
For more information or to volunteer your limestone shelf, drop me an email at ianjuby[@]ianjuby.org (removest though the [ ]’s)
