Canadian Rockhound: Saskatchewan's Fossils

Platystrophia biforata. A brachiopod found widespread in North America.
Age, middle Ordivician to upper Silurian. Image from PalVenn Fossiler.

Saskatchewan's Fossils
By Doug Miller, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Fossils of Ordovician age are found in dolomitic limestone outcrops on both sides of the Hanson Lake Road in northern Saskatchewan. The abundant fossils found include corals, sponges, crinoids and gastropods and are easily found. The limestone is a buff to yellow with yellowish brown mottlings and belongs to the Red River Formation.
The fossil sites are easily found and are located 100 km to 105 km northeast of the intersection of the Hanson Lake Road with Highway 165. This site is described in the Geological Survey of Canada Miscellaneous Report 42: "The Rocks and Minerals for the Collector: La Ronge-Creighton, Saskatchewan; Flin Flon-Thompson, Manitoba," Ann Sabina, 1987.
I visited this site briefly last summer with my son and we were rewarded with several nice specimens. Unfortunately, many fossils are embedded in limestone pieces too large to carry home. Be prepared to work a bit for the better specimens.

Copyright ©1997 Doug Miller
E-mail: mildg@sk.sympatico.ca
This article may not be copied, distributed or reprinted in any form without the author's permission. To contact the author, please use the e-mail address provided. If you are unable to contact the author, please contact the Canadian Rockhound. Authorized reprints must acknowledge the author, original source and the Canadian Rockhound, and include the website URL address of the Canadian Rockhound.
The preceding article was first published in the March 1997 issue of the Saskatoon Lapidary & Mineral Club Newsletter. Reprinted in the Canadian Rockhound with permission from the author and editor.
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Document Number: CR9701205

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