Maritimes - Summer 2008

July 5 - 25, 2008

Day 6 - July 10: St John, Petrified Forest & St Kitts Caverns: Norton Fossil Forest

Here is the description from the Norton Fossil Forest Earthcache:
Here is the description of the geocache:
"Hundreds of fossil trees, remains of Canada's oldest known forests, were discovered near Norton, NB. The trees were exposed during the widening of Highway 1 between Sussex and Norton. The forests date from a time when eastern Canada lay on the equator and was covered by steamy tropical rainforests. The trees were moss-like plants that grew to 20 meters high. These fossil forests are 40-45 million years older than Nova Scotia's famous Joggins fossil forest, which is currently being promoted as a potential UNESCO world heritage site. Therefore, this find is incredibly significant as Canada's oldest known forests. Scientists have counted almost 700 trees at the site and estimate that there were 10,000 to 25,000 trees to the hectare. The forests were incredibly dense, and would give a whole new meaning to "bushwhacking". At the rock face opposite the mile marker, you will see numerous fossilized tree trunks sticking out of the rock face."

Samantha and Rubby with the fossils... the 'nubbins' in the wall behind them are the tree trunks lying horizontally and sticking out of the rock wall.

Sam and Rubby checking out the rock wall
(it took us a while to actually figure out which parts were the trees!)

Samantha waiting patiently.

The gps next to a large cross section of a tree trunk.

People driving by would never know they were driving past a 40 million + year old forest!

A fossilized tree trunk with the bark clearly visible.

Once we figured out what to look for, we found fossils all over the wall.

A petrified branch on the wall.

Samantha holding a fossil we found on the ground.

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