pleecan Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 (edited) Oct 23, 2010 I have always wanted to visit and explore the old Queenston Quarry near Niagara Falls ON... I did not know any contacts for quarry access.... Well 3 days ago I get this email that my club at the last minute was able to secure visit to this very quarry... I signed up! The previous day one of the technicians at the place mentioned about some caves (actually hand dugged into side of a hill mining for cement)..... well he did not know the exact location but was somewhere on the Bruce Trail.... Well this was significant because I associated with cement rock from the silurian period as being host related similar to the Bertie Formation where one finds eurypterids sea scorpions. I thought Queenston Quarry was sitting on Upper Ordovician Queeston Shale as indicated by the geological maps.... Wrong! Well it turns out the quarry rock is mainly Silurian! ... the layer above the Queenston Formation. Clinton and Cataract Groups with dolostone.... Well here is the kicker... my field trip director then mentions about some old man made caves and tunnels just north of this quarry and what was so astounding ... she mentioned that she took a picture which she later describes a sea scorpion on one of the bolders. It is amazing how all the events suddenly converged on this time line... I was on the hunt for a Sea scorpion. Contrary to the the geology map and contrary to the name... this quarry is a silurian in age. I was expecting to see a sea of red shale rock that was fossil poor.... Instead a wonderful surprise.... the rock was grey in colour.. we were above the Queenstone Shale.... A great place to fossil hunt. This is my first visit. I was envisioning a sea of red shale that was suppose to be devoid of fossil... instead I was greeted with silurian age rock.... this is potential eurypterid hunting grounds. main quarry , , , , , , There are a number of quarries within this quarry... the place is huge. We (5 cars) drove to the far east portion of small quarry and I made it a mission to find these folklore tales of man made caves into the rock cliff with the added information of an eurypterid sighting by the trip leader. The trip leader had been to these caves in previous trip and she point the rough direction so I broke away from the main group and began a hike north into the bush... there were walkable trails....she told me it was only a short walk well I have been walking for now more than 1/2 hr and still no ridge no caves... I gave up and start to walk back. Being in the woods on unfamiliar trails was not a very good idea.... no gps , no compass one can easily get lost in no mans land... thank goodness this was fall not winter and it was daylight... I had not start to panic yet.... I walked for another 20 min and met an old man on a mountain bike and his dog.... apparently he was an ex security guard for the quarry and had mapped and gps every trail in this quarry man was I lucky... I asked him about these folklore caves and he knew the location.... apparently I was walking in the wrong direction ... this person was God sent and I walked for another 45min I came inview of the caves... man made tunnels carved into the cliff to mine waterlime cement. I just peeked into the caves .. did not want to crawl in and simply scanned quickly for signs of eurypterids.......... In my conservation I turns out he knew my eurypterid hunter friend BP and GS apparently they belong to the same Astronomy club... what a small world!!!I mentioned BP would come here to split rock hunting for eurypterids wow hunch was correct! I met BP and GS several year ago at Bertie Lagerstatte. Both BP and GS ( both are highly experienced eurypterid hunters) were also part of th NPGS club which I belong to. Since I was in the middle of nowhere in the woods I quickly followed my God Sent Guide as he guided me back to the quarry where my group was digging.... I thanked him and we parted our own ways.. what an adventure filled with coincedence. I will return to the caves in future visits.... I will bring a portable diamond blade saw next time. The smaller quarry on closer observation had an upper and lower bench. , , , , , , , , , , , ,, , The first 4-10' was dolostone followed by shale. The lower bench was littered with dolostone... the place reminded me of the Bertie Formation. The limestone had the same look / colour as the Bertie Lime... this is armor rock though material fractures to hard sharp edges... ultrafine in grain and appears blank devoid of fossils .... just like Bertie Lime. The next installment would be some unique fossils found in the Silurian including some unknowns and a rare Silurian Plant... stay tune.... Edited October 24, 2010 by pleecan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calciteguy Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 (edited) Interesting story and images. I'd be looking for calcite crystals and other minerals as well!!! Will be looking for the next report Edited October 24, 2010 by Auspex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefootgirl Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Awesome story! i can't wait to see what you find. In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat: but in the evolution of real knowledge, it marks the first step in progress toward victory. Alfred North Whithead 'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 All the coincidences... This is a great story, and I am so glad that you are the one that gets to tell it! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted October 24, 2010 Author Share Posted October 24, 2010 (edited) Well BarefootGirl, Auspex and CalciteGuy... the story continues.... After rejoining the group it was about 12noon and 1/2 day has gone by... time to start digging for fossils... at least now I had a rough clue where the caves were for future reference. I told my trip leader that this is a great place to hunt and we should visit it more often in the future. I ate lunch an began to fossil hunt.... my trip leader told us she need to be back early to attend a family function and we all agreed to quit at 2pm so I had roughly 2hr to hunt.... I had walked a total of 2hr solid and my feet were tired... I was upper bench and on a boulder was covered with fossils.. sea floor hash and on one location a saw a black worm like fossil which I chiseled out.... The unknown black Silurian worm like fossil was approx 10mm long ... I happy and thought what a super find... I then moved over to the second bench... the top layer up to 10 ft thick was dolostone... beneath it was grey black shale. The grey black shale had weathered cause sections of the upper dolostone layers to collapse to the bottom of the quarry. Dolostone is a super hard limestone, ultrafine grain and generally devoid of fossils. I kept thinking to myself that this dolostone rock was identical to the rock I had seen in the Bertie Formation famed for eurypterids... same colour , same ultrafine grain structure, fractures to sharp jagged edges... I scanned through the dolostone debris hoping to find a fossil.... and there it was a Rare carbonized Silurian Plant my 2nd prize for the day.... ROM Tentitive ID: "appears to be a tiny fragment of a dendroid graptolite, possibly an acanthograptid such as Thallograptus" measure approx 10mm x15mm To be continued ..... Edited October 25, 2010 by pleecan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted October 24, 2010 Author Share Posted October 24, 2010 (edited) My next find was equally rare unknown as stated by ROM , this is not Cooksonia as first thought The above mystery fossil was fractured and I carefully lifted the top half off an reveal my first trace of Eurypterid parts.... mid thoraxic segments "2 ribs" first indicator that eurypterids are linked to this particular formation. Followed by tail fragment from an eurypterid I knew I was close but time ran out It was 2pm time to leave. I packed up my gear and as I turn spotted a complete heavy weather Eurypterid approx 4" from Head to Tail with both arms raise at about 45 deg angle... this has been a great day! PL Edited October 25, 2010 by pleecan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 Great report Peter. Thanks very much! Bet you just can't wait to get back there again. Roger Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted October 24, 2010 Author Share Posted October 24, 2010 (edited) Thanks Roger. The quarry is only 1hr drive.... fairly close. Fossils in the early silurian are not that plentiful as there was some sort of major event towards the end of the Ordovician Era.... extinction event..... The Silurian period is one of my favorite eras to explore.... PL Edited October 24, 2010 by pleecan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted October 24, 2010 Author Share Posted October 24, 2010 (edited) All the coincidences... This is a great story, and I am so glad that you are the one that gets to tell it! Yes Auspex this was an eventful week.... where a single thought produced a sequence of events leading to a finite conclusion. At times reflecting back feel like I am in the Twilight Zone.... What a man thinks so is he. I now have a new hunting spot.... but may be sort live as the quarry is in the process of begin rehabilitated and re-developed into housing complex.... PL Edited October 24, 2010 by pleecan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 Peter.... Looks like a great place to collect and plenty material to go at, all around the quarry.... I love the delecate carbonised plant fragment.... well done.... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nala Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 Very nice report and finds,thanks to share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted October 24, 2010 Author Share Posted October 24, 2010 Interesting story and images. I'd be looking for calcite crystals and other minerals as well!!! Will be looking for the next report I did collect some Minerals.... Marcasite / Pyrite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted October 24, 2010 Author Share Posted October 24, 2010 Peter.... Looks like a great place to collect and plenty material to go at, all around the quarry.... I love the delecate carbonised plant fragment.... well done.... Thanks Steve. The carbonized plant material is my real prize of the day more valuable than eurypterids as plants are very scares in early Silurian period. I had lots of fun that day! Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted October 24, 2010 Author Share Posted October 24, 2010 Very nice report and finds,thanks to share Your welcome Nala. I love hunting the Silurian.... PL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 Cool finds, Peter. The Plant material is the best thing to find. Although I'd be hard pressed to say I want one of those verses a fully articulated Euryptid. -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 Hey PL, great report and some very nice finds. Always neat to see some really old plant material...Yep, I agree with Dave in the dilemma of which I'd want to find more, those Eurypterids are really really fascinating creatures! Continued success in the next outing. Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bear-dog Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 Great report and finds.Looks like you had a good time.Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.Happy hunting. Bear-dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glacialerratic Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 Wow, Peter! What a great find! Another Eurypterid hunting ground! Thanks for sharing! Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted October 24, 2010 Author Share Posted October 24, 2010 Thanks everyone for the encouraging comments. Towards the end of the day my trip leader jokingly kept saying "I hate you" " its beginners luck" as I was pull out fossil after fossil and minerals too (they were not finding much)... not bad for 2hrs of hunting. Right after we left the quarry ... it began to rain. I have sent a copy of the photos of plant and worm like fossil to the ROM for ID. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefootgirl Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 So glad you had a great time and found some cool fossils. In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat: but in the evolution of real knowledge, it marks the first step in progress toward victory. Alfred North Whithead 'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted October 24, 2010 Author Share Posted October 24, 2010 Thanks BarefootGirl! Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ordovician_Odyssey Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 (edited) very interesting! next time im down to the falls i'll try and go! ....i really could use some peices of euripterids in my collection great report! Edited October 24, 2010 by trilobite guy -Shamus The Ordovician enthusiast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted October 25, 2010 Author Share Posted October 25, 2010 The quarry access can be had by joining th NPGS club. Quarry gates are normally locked. PM me if you want to join NPGS as I have an application form that I can email you. PL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted October 25, 2010 Share Posted October 25, 2010 What a fantastic trip! Loved the report and images.. Can't wait to see what the cave looks like and what you find down there.... mystery fossils, I sense it... Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted October 25, 2010 Author Share Posted October 25, 2010 What a fantastic trip! Loved the report and images.. Can't wait to see what the cave looks like and what you find down there.... mystery fossils, I sense it... Thanks Roz. At least I know roughly where the man made caves are roughly located. On future trips... I will hunt outside the caves (something about phobia of dark confined spaces, bats and a fear of cave in)..... I was trying to located the fable eurypterid beds as my trip leader tells me she photographed an eurypterid on one of the boulders ...... she did not have the tools for proper extraction. This was one of the stranger trips filled with so many coincidence that did occur and converged onto a single time line. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now