FOSSIL PLANT SITE: SLIDE MOUNTAIN

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH: CASTLE PEAK

BIG BUG THEORY: EURIPTERID

OREODONT SKULL

ANCIENT RIVER DELTA

The exposures of the Chuckanut Formation were once part of a vast river delta; imagine, if you will, the bayou country of the Lower Mississippi.

The siltstones, sandstones, mudstones and conglomerates of the Chuckanut Formation were laid down about 40-54 million years ago during the Eocene epoch, a time of luxuriant plant growth in the subtropical flood plain that covered much of the Pacific Northwest. This ancient wetland provided ideal conditions to preserve the many trees, shrubs & plants that thrived here. Rare bird, reptile and mammal tracks have also been immortalized. Tracks from Diatryma, a large flightless bird, were uncovered in 2009. Diatryma reached up to 9 feet in height, making a living in the grasslands and swamps of the Eocene.

TRACKWAY

SERENE BEAUTY

UNEARTHING ANCIENT WASHINGTON

A trip along Chuckanut Drive, in northwestern Washington is a chance to view incredible diversity from sea to sky.

An amazing array of plants and animals call this coastline home. For the fossil enthusiast, it is a chance to slip back in time and have a bird’s eye view to a more tropical time with a visit to the Chuckanut Formation. Snug up against the Pacific Ocean, this 6000m thick exposure yields a vast number of tropical and flowering plants that you might see in Mexico today.

Easily accessible by car, this rich natural playground makes for an enjoyable daytrip just one hour south of the US Border

RUCKUS ON THE ROCKS

MOSASAUR: JAWLINE REVEALED

A close-up view of the dentition of an ancient aquatic, carnivorous lizard,the mighty Mosasaur, from Late Cretaceous exposures on Vancouver Island.

This well-prepped specimen is now housed in the collections of the Courtenay Museum, Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

The creature who owned this jaw bone undoubtably swam alongside Kourisodon puntledgensis, another enormous marine predator and new species of Mosasaur unearthed on Vancouver Island who swam our ancient seaway millions of years ago.

FOSSIL PLANT DETAIL