As part of the Eighth BC Paleontological Symposium, May 15-18, 2009, I led a field trip to the Cretaceous-Jurassic exposures near Harrison Lake, British Columbia.
The lake and hotsprings at Harrison are an easy two hour drive from Vancouver and another hour or so to our final destination, the unyielding siltstone of the Callovian Mysterious Creek Formation.
A few hours of collecting yield multiple bivalves, ammonites, including what looks to be two new species. Amongst the best specimens of the day are several small, fairly well preserved Cadoceras (Paracadoceras) tonniense, a few Cadoceras (Pseudocadoceras) grewingki and two relatively complete specimens of the larger, smooth Cadoceras comma. Further up the road, we photograph blocks of buchia and large boulders encrusted with perfectly preserved belemnites, cigar-looking numbers from ancient squid.
Interestingly, the ammonites from here are quite similar to the ones found within the lower part of the Chinitna Formation, Alaska and Jurassic Point, Kyuquot, on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
The siltstone here at Harrison has also offered up a small section of vertebra from a poorly preserved marine reptile, a find I'm rather keen to make one day. So, after much hammer swinging, I've enjoyed a splendid day, collected beautiful specimens and feel a wee bit closer to the big find. Returning like a soldier from battle, I carefully package and log my booty, returning home the happier for it.
I'd like to take my boys fossil hunting up there. Is the area you visited accessible by road? You can e-mail me offline at kevinmilerxi@gmail.com.
Thanks!