Welcome to the Fossils, Fosssils everywhere! Earthcache. Because this is an earthcache, there is no container to find here. Instead, you are looking for a geological feature (fossils) within the exterior of the Simcoe Carillion Tower. In order to log this cache as found, please complete the following two tasks (logging requirements):
1. Send you answers to the following three (3) questions to the CO via Geovcaching Messages, email, or by any other means available to you.
a) Find at least 3 different types of fossils in the exterior wall of the carillion tower. Using the chart below, try to name the type of fossils you have found and send them to the CO.
b) Based on your observations, would you say that more of the fossils are impression fossils, body fossils or trace fossils?
c) Based on your observations, what would you say is the most common type of fossil here?
2. Take a photo of yourself or your GPS with the Carillion Tower in the background to prove you visited the location. Your face does not need to be visible in the photo but it must be unique to you!
Details About this Earthcache
Roadside parking can be found on McCall St or Wilson Dr. Please obey all no parking signs and no stopping signs near the high school. This area is available during daylight hours, 7 days per week. However, due to the close proximity to the local high school, I would recommend you visit when school is not in session. This cache is available from the sidewalk and you do not need to enter private property to gather your answers - all questions can be answered from the public sidewalk.
This earthcache should be available in all weather.
As with all of my ECs, I am not looking for PhD thesis level responses, but I am hoping that you take some time to enjoy the area and learn something new. Please include a list of all cachers with your answer, if answering for more than one caching name.
Now that you know what you need to do to log this earthcache, let's learn some more about these fossils:
There are three types of fossils found at GZ - Fossil Impressions, Trace Fossils and Body Fossils
Fossil impressions
Fossil impressions are imprints or indented marks in the stone, caused by a item pressing into the mud, silt or sand as it hardened into rock. Over time, organic matter decays until there is nothing left ecept the impression of the item. The empty space in the shape of the plant or animal is referred to as a cast. Often these casts show the details of the item, and typically withstand the elements fairly well, showing minmal signs of erosion.
Fossil impressions are found preserved in sedimentary rock, normally clay and shale.
Trace Fossils
Also known as ichnofossils, Trace fossils include things such as footprints, tracks, burrows, and fossilized feces. These fossils show how prehistoric creatures lived, but are not actually a part of the prehistoric creature itself.
Body Fossils
Body fossils are the remains of plants, animals or bacteria from prehistoric times that have been preserved either partially or wholy intact, giving us a direct visual into what these creatures looked like millions of years ago. Body fossils also include teeth, bones, skin, eggs, leaves, wood and even bark. In Ontario’s sedimentary limestone, it is common to spot fossilized shells and crinoids in limestone blocks.
What types of fossils can I find at GZ?
Chain Coral (Catenipora) was a colonial tabulate coral. Individual corallites which form the colony grew as a vertical tube with elliptical cross-section and joined along the edges to give the appearance of a chain, hence the common name Chain Coral.
Horn Coral (Grewingkia) was a solitary rugose coral. Individuals were separate and grew in the shape of a slightly curved cone rather like a cow's horn, hence the common name Horn Coral. In cross-section the fossil shows a circular to elliptical shape with septa radiating from the centre. In vertical section it shows an elongated curved triangular shape with septa running along its length.
Receptaculitids were animals with a similar life style to modern sponges. They are now extinct. Fisherites was a large form which grew in the shape of a hollow irregular sphere, the walls of which were double and made up of small hexagonal plates and rods. In some sections the arrangement of the plates resembles a sunflower blossom hence the common, but erroneous name, Sunflower Coral.
Stromatoporoid - were colonial animals in which the very small individuals formed layers as the colony grew. They are now extinct.
Cephalopods/Nautiloid : These are relatives of today’s octopods, squids, and the “living fossil” nautilus. Like the existing nautilus they have a shell composed of a series of separate chambers. The shell may be curved (like the nautilus) or straight, but straight ones are much more commonly seen in Tyndall Stone.
Gastropods include your typical snails, as well as other forms such as slugs. Fossils of both tall spiral shells and more broadly rounded ones may be found in Tyndall Stone. Examples include the Hormotoma and Maclurites
Brachiopod are a group of lophotrochozoan animals that have hard "valves" (shells) on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs.
Saffordophyllum/Honeycomb coral was a colonial tabulate coral in which the vertical tubes of the corallites are polygonal in cross-section and joined on all sides to give the appearance of a honeycomb, hence the common name Honeycomb Coral.
Resources
https://manitobamuseum.ca/main/the-fossils-surround-us/