Ammonoids & Conodnts: Triassic Exposures of Nevada

Today on the show, we travel back in time to the Late Cretaceous, some 66 million years ago, when death fell from the sky.

Step into the sunbaked folds of West Union Canyon, just beyond Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park in Nevada, and you are quite literally walking along one of North America’s most important geological fault lines in time—the elusive boundary between the Carnian and Norian stages of the Late Triassic.Here, the Upper Triassic Luning Formation—specifically the Early Norian Kerri Zone—reveals itself in a series of beautifully exposed beds, each one a page in a story written some 220 million years ago. This is no ordinary outcrop. It is a reference point, a kind of stratigraphic Rosetta Stone for understanding the Carnian–Norian boundary (CNB) on this side of the ancient world.

At first glance, anemones look like soft blossoms anchored to rock, their tentacles swaying with the tide. But look a little closer and you’ll see a skilled predator at work. Each of those delicate arms is armed with nematocysts—microscopic, harpoon-like cells loaded with venom—ready to stun passing prey in a split second.Sea anemones belong to the class Anthozoa, making them close relatives of corals and jellyfish. Unlike jellyfish, though, they’ve traded a life of drifting for one firmly planted in place, attaching themselves to reefs, rocks, and seafloors across the globe—from shallow tide pools to the deep sea.Now, for us fossil folk, anemones present a bit of a challenge. They are soft-bodied, with no shells or bones to readily fossilise. So their presence in the fossil record is rare—more whisper than shout.But we do have some beautiful clues.Exceptional fossil sites, like the Burgess Shale in British Columbia—dating back over 508 million years—have preserved soft-bodied organisms in stunning detail. Here, we find anemone-like creatures that give us a glimpse into early anthozoan life during the Cambrian Explosion, a time when complex life was just beginning to flourish in Earth’s oceans.We also find trace fossils—subtle impressions left in ancient seabeds. Circular marks and anchoring traces hint at where anemones once lived, even when their bodies themselves have long since vanished.Modern anemones also host fascinating partnerships. Many live in symbiosis with algae, gaining energy from photosynthesis, while others form famous alliances—like clownfish weaving safely among their stinging tentacles.So while they may seem delicate, anemones are ancient survivors—holding fast through mass extinctions and vast shifts in Earth’s history.

Long, long ago—millions of years before you or me, before the canoes of the Polynesian voyagers, before the first birds ever touched these shores—there was only ocean. A vast blue desert stretching farther than the eye could see. But beneath that endless water, far below the waves, the Earth was stirring.Deep inside our planet lies a restless heart, a molten engine. It churns and pulses, and sometimes, it leaks upward through the skin of the world. In one special place beneath the Pacific Plate, a hot spot—a plume of heat rising from the mantle—began to melt rock, making it buoyant and eager to break free.Imagine molten stone, glowing red-orange, pushing upward for thousands of years until—at last—it broke through the ocean floor. The sea hissed and boiled as lava met saltwater. Bit by bit, eruption after eruption, a new land began to rise from the deep. That was the beginning of the Hawai'ian Islands.But here’s the magic, Hawai'i is not a single island, but a story told in chapters, one after another, spread across millions of years. You see, the Pacific Plate is always moving—slowly, but steadily, like a great raft drifting northwest. The hot spot itself doesn’t move. It’s fixed, like a candle’s flame. So as the plate slides across it, new islands are born in sequence, while the old ones drift away, cooling, eroding, and eventually sinking back beneath the waves.It’s as though the Earth is sewing a necklace of emeralds and sapphires across the ocean, each island a bead in the chain. Kaua‘i, the eldest, is weathered and softened, its sharp volcanic ridges worn into velvet valleys. O‘ahu, Maui, Moloka‘i—all follow, each younger, each shaped by fire and rain. And finally, the youngest, Hawai‘i Island—often called the Big Island—still burns with creation. Its great volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Kīlauea, continue to pour molten rock into the sea, adding new land even as we speak.

Join in the exploration of the fascinating science of paleontology — that lens that examines ancient animals, plants & ecosystems from wee single-celled organisms to big & mighty dinosaurs.

Cretaceous Capilano Fossil Field Trip — From downtown Vancouver, drive north through Stanley Park and over the Lion’s Gate Bridge. Take the North Vancouver exit toward the ferries. Turn right onto Taylor Way and then right again at Clyde Avenue. Look for the Park Royal Hotel. Park anywhere along Clyde Avenue.From Clyde Avenue walk down the path to your left towards the Capilano River. Watch the water level and tread cautiously as it can be slippery if there has been any recent rain. Look for beds of sandstone about 200 meters north of the private bridge and just south of the Highway bridge. The fossil beds are just below the Whytecliff Apartment high rises. Be mindful of high water and slippery rocks.For more geeky goodness visit Fossil Huntress HQ at www.fossilhuntress.com

Woolly Mammoths – Picture a towering, shaggy titan lumbering across a frozen expanse, as winds howl through its dense, draping fur. This is the Woolly Mammoth—an Ice Age icon that could stand up to 11 feet tall, placing it nose-to-nose with a modern African elephant and utterly dwarfing most other terrestrial creatures of its time. Just imagining the primal force of such a beast stirs excitement, as they stomped across the tundra in herds, trumpeting through the bitter winds and surviving on a variety of tough, frosty vegetation.Though their colossal footprints echo through history, it wasn’t just size that made Woolly Mammoths unforgettable. Their massive, spiraling tusks—sometimes measuring over 10 feet—were invaluable tools for excavating snowdrifts in search of edible grasses or fending off fierce predators. And with all that dense, oily fur keeping them warm, these creatures likely carried an intense, pungent musk wherever they roamed, hinting at a mix of sweat, earthy scents, and the lingering aroma of moist vegetation lodged in their coats. You might catch a whiff of something akin to a barnyard on steroids—an odor that would have signaled their presence long before you actually saw one.Throughout the Pleistocene, these mighty mammals forged a path through some of the toughest environments on Earth, coexisting with a host of other megafauna. While many factors—such as changing climates and relentless human hunters—eventually spelled their downfall around 4,000 years ago, the Woolly Mammoth still kindles our imaginations today. The countless fossils and remarkably preserved specimens unearthed from permafrost remind us of an age dominated by larger-than-life beasts, and the enduring allure of these magnificent giants continues to shape our understanding of prehistoric worlds.

Welcome to the Fossil Huntress Podcast. Today on the show we’re talking about living dinosaurs—our avian friends, the birds. From the tiniest hummingbird to the towering ostrich, these feathered creatures carry the legacy of the mighty theropods, bridging millions of years of evolution in their lightweight skeletons and high-powered hearts. So join me as we explore both the link between the sweet little chirpers you see in your yard and impressive predators like T. Rex and Velociraptor.For more like this, visit Fossil Huntress HQ www.fossilhuntress.com to connect with the ARCHEA Blog, Facebook and Instagram for more geeky goodness!

Today on the show, we'll explore the first fossil finds from Miguasha Provincial Park, a protected area near Carleton-sur-Mer on the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec in Canada, from the mid-1800s. Miguasha is known for its exceptional preservation of Late Devonian (370 million years ago) fossil fish, including lobe-finned fish that played a crucial role in the transition of vertebrates from water to land. The park's cliffs contain fossils of various fish groups, including Agnathans (jawless fishes), Placoderms (heavily armored fish), Acanthodians (spiny fish), and Sarcopterygians (fleshy-finned fish with lungs), as well as invertebrates like crustaceans, worms, and Eurypterids (giant cousins of land scorpions). Two well-known sarcopterygians found at Miguasha are Eusthenopteron foordi and Elpistostege watsoni, which are important for understanding the transition of vertebrates from water to land. If you would like to read more about the find, head on over to www.fossilhuntress.com and click on the ARCHEA Blog for more details, photos and insights on the yummy fossil finds from the area.

Welcome to the Fossil Huntress Podcast. Today, we're taking a journey half a billion years back in time to one of the most extraordinary fossil sites on the planet — the Burgess Shale — nestled high in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada.So close your eyes and fly with me up to the top of North America, find Canada’s far western shores then head east. If you were driving from Vancouver to Burgess in Yoho National park the trip takes about 9 hours. But as we are flying, we arrive rather instantly. This site isn’t just famous — it’s legendary. Why? Because the Burgess Shale preserves an astonishingly detailed snapshot of early life on Earth, dating back to the Middle Cambrian, about 508 million years ago. The creatures found here represent some of the earliest complex life forms — a mind-blowing cast of characters from a time when life was exploding in diversity and complexity. Think of it as nature’s original experiment lab, full of alien-looking arthropods, spiny worms, bizarre filter feeders, and some of the earliest chordates — animals that share our evolutionary ancestry.Some of the headliners include:Anomalocaris – a meter-long predator with grasping appendages and a circular mouth lined with teeth. It looks like something straight out of a sci-fi film.Opabinia – with five eyes and a long proboscis, it's one of the weirdest creatures ever discovered.Wiwaxia, Hallucigenia, Marrella – each one stranger than the last.And then there’s Pikaia, a tiny, worm-like creature with a notochord — a feature shared by all vertebrates. That includes you and me. It’s one of the earliest known members of our own evolutionary lineage.What Do These Fossils Tell Us?The Burgess Shale helps us understand the Cambrian Explosion, that dramatic moment in Earth’s history when most major animal groups first appeared.It shows us that early life was more diverse — and stranger — than we ever imagined. Evolution involves a lot of experimentation — many of the creatures found here left no descendants. Even tiny creatures like Pikaia played a major role in our own evolutionary history.It’s a story of ancient oceans, evolutionary innovation, and a delicate moment frozen in shale. A time capsule from a world we barely recognize — yet one that gave rise to us all.You can visit the fossils. There are three main hikes:Walcott Quarry Hike – This is the classic. A full-day, 21 km round-trip hike with stunning views and up-close looks at where Charles Doolittle Walcott first discovered these fossils in 1909.Mount Stephen Trilobite Beds – A bit shorter but still steep, this hike rewards you with a literal ground covered in trilobites!Stanley Glacier Hike in Kootenay National Park – A more recent site with new discoveries and another great option to experience the Burgess Shale in the wild.The hikes are moderately to very strenuous, and must be booked in advance through Parks Canada’s website. The guides are knowledgeable interpreters — often geologists or paleontologists themselves — and they bring the whole story to life.I highly recommend visiting Yoho National Park and joining one of those hikes. Standing on that mountainside, with half-a-billion years of history beneath your boots, is a humbling, awe-inspiring experience.