Few things encapsulate the idiom “good things come in small packages” better than small town museums. The Princeton and District Museum in southern British Columbia is no exception. As fun as small town museums can be, it’s rare for them to house a quality earth science exhibit of any kind. This is where Princeton differs, … Read more
Mission Creek is ranks right up there with Tranquille River as a popular public gold panning spot in British Columbia, Canada. While not an official gold panning reserve, there is a significant stretch of the creek open to the public. And it’s located right in the heart of Kelowna on the eastern shore of Okanagan … Read more
I’m honestly not sure how famous the Fernie ammonite fossil is outside my own little bubble, but at least in southern Alberta and southern BC it is quite well known. One of the largest known ammonite fossils in the world, this beauty is found in the mountains east of Fernie, British Columbia. Online resources show … Read more
Yoho National Park has long claimed all the Burgess Shale fame. That changed in 2012, when new fossil beds were discovered in Kootenay National Park near Marble Canyon. You cannot access this latest find, yet, but nearby Stanley Glacier offers a worthy consolation in the meantime. Unlike the Walcott Quarry and Mount Stephen Trilobite Beds … Read more
The Burgess Shale is known the world over for the amazing middle Cambrian lifeforms preserved within its beds. What’s less well known is that there is more to the Burgess Shale than Walcott Quarry. In fact, Walcott Quarry wasn’t even the first fossil discovery site. That was the Mount Stephen Trilobite Beds. Now part of … Read more
The Burgess Shale is easily the most famous geological formation in Canada, perhaps the world. It’s a name even the least geologically inclined person has heard. The fossils found within this Lagerstätte (specifically in the Stephen Formation) are renowned for the soft-bodied preservation of middle Cambrian lifeforms. They were first recovered from Walcott Quarry. The … Read more
Courtenay, British Columbia, in the heart of the Comox Valley, has a museum. As most small cities and towns do. In 1988, the local history nature of this museum changed forever with the discovery of an Elasmosaur along the Puntledge River west of the city. With it, the modern day Courtenay and District Museum and … Read more
Official Club Website Facebook Page Instagram Page The Maple Ridge Lapidary Club is a very active club in the lower mainland of British Columbia. They’ve been around since 1958 and continue to be a vibrant, social club dedicated to the various arts that involve rocks, minerals, and gems. More so than other rock clubs, this … Read more
British Columbia’s west coast is renowned for it’s natural beauty. The Sea to Sky Highway (#99) offers many opportunities to see Mother Nature’s handywork as it winds its way along the east side of Howe Sound from Vancouver to Squamish and then Whistler. Along the way, you’ll encounter an imposing white building built into the … Read more
Official Club Website Facebook Page Kamloops, B.C. is home to the Thompson Valley Rock Club. It’s an active club, hosting monthly meetings as well as offering a lapidary workshop, classes, and field trips to members. Their website provides an excellent primer on the geology of the Kamloops area including a rundown of the various types … Read more