-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(other)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
While the coordinates are located outside of private property, any further activity in fossil hunting requires specific permissions as required my the owner(s). Please respect the property and the owners.
Fifty Million Years ago, what is now desert in Central British Columbia was an enormous subtropical lake. Lush bushes and trees lined its shores; bugs thrived in the heat chomping on decaying vegetation. Birds lived here too, as did unusual moon-eyed fish. Species such as salmonid ancestors like eosalmo were also known to frequent these areas. Various zeolites also existed, including tiny organisms called diatoms, which lived underwater in this massive lake. When diatoms "sneezed", their spray spread out, touching other diatoms nearby, creating a microscopic film which acts like a glue, holding anything that came in contact with it in a sticky web which would eventually fall to the bottom of the lake in distinctive layers. In the summer, the top of a lake is a bacteria playground, warm and filled with tasty things to eat and to help it reproduce quickly. At this time, the bottom of a lake is too cold and dark for bacteria to thrive. Objects falling to the bottom of the lake sit there, in a limbo of sorts, stuck in diatomic "boogers" in layers upon layers of sediment and algae. In winter, the crust of a lake is colder than the bottom of the lake, which remains warm enough for some species like fish and frogs to survive and thrive. When the lake thaws in spring, something interesting happens. The cold water on top of the lake drops to the bottom, and lifts up the warmer water beneath it, and with it, everything that has fallen in. This aquatic inversion (or flip) is nature's own answer to garbage removal. This old sediment and plant matter makes for some tasty new stuff for bacteria to snack on, and the nose-curdling swampy gas that follows their feeding frenzy. The least they could do is say "Pardon Me!" when they belch. Unlike most lakes in Canada in our time, this lake never froze, which is what makes this place so special. After the waters receded, layer upon layer of debris, sediment, as well as volcanic ash and molten mud rivers (lahars), added to the geology .Then, volcanic and plate activity pushed up the lake bed, creating massive mountains. During the ice-age, earth-grinding glaciers scoured the earth and took a good 2000 m of rock and threw it down river and as far down as upper Oregon State. Wind and water erosion also shaped this area, creating the interesting formations which you can see above and around you. Now, this place is home to some of British Columbia's most incredible fossil finds dating back to the Early Eocene period. This location, according to Dr. Mark Wilson of the University of Alberta, is "one of the . most significant sites in British Columbia for scientific study of Cenozoic (Early Eocene) fossils." Please do not travel past the gate near the highway unless it is open, and be careful as this is an open mine area prone to rock fall. Please stay only on the path, and you may park at the parking area. Do not attempt to go up to the mining area or to pass the second gate unless accompanied by the owner(s). Some less valuable, but still fun, samples of some of the fossil finds are available at the parking area. You may also find some current samples of fossils in this site, as well as information regarding the fossils and aboriginal information from the area. If you are hoping to dig, make contact with the owners of the property to make arrangements to travel up to the dig site and make sure that appropriate personnel are accompanying you. We have also been told by the owners of the property that some areas are one of the only places where black widow spiders are a native species and that exploration may destroy their habitat. Please respect the place, the plants and creatures (like rattlesnakes) which live here! To log this earth cache, do the following: 1) Take a picture at the coordinates provided and email the picture to the cache owners. Do not post to the site as this would be a spoiler. 2) Go to this site: http://www.fossilmuseum.net/Fossil_Sites/mcabee.htm and send an email to the cache owners telling us what process caused the specific fossilization of this plant and animal matter. 3) What is the name that locals give to the rock formations you can see on the tops of the bluffs all around you? 4) If you do decide to dig (with permission), or you find a cool fossil, you may post a picture of your find on your log entry.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
gur tngr yrnqf gb bhe cnfg