Martin Family Fossil Collection, p. 1

Martin Family Fossil Collection Page 1: Fossils from Joggins, Nova Scotia, Canada

Joggins is famous for the abundance, variety and quality of fossils from the carboniferous era. Plants and animal traces are abundant, Reptiles, amphibians and insects have also been discovered. I find it one of the most enjoyable fossil hunting locations in the world. Not only is the location beautiful, but the sound of the water makes the whole experience a most relaxing one. Best of all, the collecting is so good, even the kids can enjoy the many treasures they find on the beach.

	Calamites. One of the more common and easily identifiable fossils found at Joggins. The plant resembled the present day Horsetail and grew to a height of between 5 and 10 meters. Much of the distinctive parallel ridges has been worn away by the action of the wind and waves of the Fundy shore
	This Calamites is of interest because it is still surrounded by a thin layer of the coalified bark of the plant itself. You can see the fresh ridges of the fossil where the coal has begun to break off.
	This Calamites, still contained in the surrounding mudstone shows very fine detail, distinctive of the plant.
	Calamites showing several of the rings where the needlelike leaves would have been.
	Sigillaria is a Lycopod tree easily identified by the scale-like pattern of leaf scars found on it's bark. The scars are arranged in vertical rows separated by ridges.
	Another piece of bark showing the distinctive pattern associated with Sigillaria.
	Lepidodendron is another large fossilized tree found at Joggins. Also easily distinguishable by it's leaf scar pattern, Lepidodendron has a pattern of elongated diamond shaped scars arranged in a spiral around it's trunk. Both of these trees grew to a height of about 30 meters.
	Another piece of bark showing distinctive hexagonal scales, not diamond-shaped scales like the classical pattern associated with Lepidodendron, and not linear scales like the classical Sigillaria. Emmanuel Maicas has suggested it might be Subsagillaria.

I can be reached at: [email protected] Last modified on November 14, 2001

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