Joggins Fossil Cliffs

Welcome to the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, a UNESCO World Heritage site situated on the upper reaches of the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia. Stretching for over fifteen kilometers along the coastline, these soaring, layered cliffs serve…

Look closely at the dark, stratified bands running horizontally through the cliff face. These are seams of pure coal, the compressed remains of the ancient jungle biomass. …

As we walk the beach, we walk in the footsteps of giants. In eighteen forty-two, the renowned geologist Sir Charles Lyell visited this very shoreline. …

We have now arrived at a prominent geological feature known as Coal Mine Point, historically referred to as Lyell's Corner. It was precisely here in eighteen fifty-two that Lyell and Dawson made a monumental discovery. …

Look upward at the cliffs directly above us, an area affectionately known by geologists as the Fundy Forest. This specific one-kilometer stretch of the section is arguably the most prolific fossil site in the entire park. …

Moving slightly north along the beach, we enter an area known as the Archer Beds. While the spectacular upright trees capture immediate attention, the subtle details preserved in the siltstone and mudstone here are equally…

As the tide continues to recede, take notice of the flat, rocky expanses stretching out into the bay—these are the intertidal reefs. These sandstone extensions are essentially the submerged continuation of the cliff face, visible…

As the tide begins to turn, signaling our time to leave the ocean floor, reflect on the sheer scale of time recorded in the Joggins Fossil Cliffs. The five thousand meters of sedimentary rock here represent millions of years of…