Micro fossils in the spotlight
Take a trip back to the age of dinosaurs as the Victoria Palaeontology Society holds its 21st Fossil Fair this weekend at the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary.
Budding paleontologists can view a variety of ancient fossils of animals and plants from the Cambrian period, from 550 million years ago to the end of the last Ice Age, 10,000 years ago.
Fossils at the fair come from Vancouver Island, other parts of British Columbia and beyond. While the dinosaur bones are the most popular, this year the spotlight is on examples best seen under a microscope.
“This year, it is all about the micro fossil display,” said Tom Cockburn, chairman of the Victoria Palaeontology Society. “The focus is on pollen as an investigative tool to understand climate change.”
Besides the micro samples, you’ll find fossilized remains of insects, corals, mollusks, ammonites, trilobites — all the way up to actual dinosaur bones.
The family-friendly event includes a fossil scavenger hunt with prizes, fossil colouring, rubbings and stampings.
You can also bring in fossils for identification — or to try to stump the experts. The fair also features a collection of pseudo fossils — interesting-looking rocks that look like fossils.
The society will have on hand examples of display cases and story boards from an educational kit, available for loan for presentations to school groups, youth camps and other organizations.
A member of the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance, the Victoria Palaeontology Society works with professional paleontologists on the discovery and naming of new species. All scientifically significant fossils are donated to the Royal British Columbia Museum.
Admission to the Fossil Fair is by donation. It runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary, 3873 Swan Lake Rd.