FOSSIL CENTRE IS A RARE FIND

My wife (Mary) and I live in Utica, New York, USA. In July 2017, and again in July of this year, we made our way to Newfoundland where I did field work on fossils. Each time, we made it a point to visit the Cape Breton Fossil Centre.

The Cape Breton Fossil Centre showcases the largest and finest collection of Upper Carboniferous plant fossils (about 300 million years old) I have ever seen and I feel it is superior to those collections I’ve seen which include the Natural History Museum, London, England, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. and The Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois.

The consistently excellent state of preservation of the plant fossils on display is not the only great thing about the centre. Visitors to the fossil centre can collect their own specimens of plant fossils on the fossil collecting trip guided by Dr. Critchley (curator and educator at the Fossil Centre). Each time I have been on the collecting trip, I and others have seen and collected very wellpreserved plant fossils. There is also a great variety of these fossil plants on display, all of which are from the Sydney Mines area. In my opinion, this wonderful diversity on display of plant fossils from the Sydney coal field, and those anyone can collect, is unparalleled anywhere in the world.

The centre is a great asset for the people of Cape Breton. The collection on display and the plant fossils anyone can collect on the collecting trip, are a great link to the history of the Sydney Mines area of Cape Breton. The Sydney coal field was one of the most productive coal producing regions, not only in Nova Scotia, but for all of Canada. The historical importance of the economic value of this coal producing area is showcased at the Sydney Mines Heritage Museum. The displays at the Heritage Museum and the Fossil Centre complement and enhance each other in unique educational ways. The fact that several thousand people visit the Cape Breton Fossil Centre and the Sydney Mines Heritage Museum every year is a testimony to the geologic and historical importance and to the economic value of both entities to the Sydney Mines area.

Victor P. Tollerton, Jr. Research Associate in Paleontology New York State Museum, Albany, New York