Fossil Hunting in the Tranquille Hills

Fossil Hunting in the Tranquille Hills

Doug Smith  August 3, 2022 at 8:37 am

The south-facing slopes above Tranquille were once submerged under a glacial lake.    Glaciers rolled over the hills and left moraine deposits, but where erosion has exposed shales, we can sometimes find fossils.    there are some small spots in the hills above Tranquille River and there are more extensive deposits in the gullies between Tranquille and Battle Bluff.   On a hot summer morning, we took the grandkids for short  fossil hunt in the hills.   We have been successful in the area before and this time we approached it from a different direction and found some, but not as many as in previous efforts. 

Where shales are exposed on ridges, slopes, or in gullies, we may be able to find a fossil.  

Some video of the area shows “the lay of the land.”

We came out of the hills with a handful of interesting rocks and a small number of fossil imprints.   We were happy to soak our feet in the river on this hot day. 

We will return to a good quarry spot when the weather is cooler, probably in the fall. 

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Doug Smith

Doug writes for Kamloops Trails, a not-for-profit (and ad free) website, offering information on trails, waterways, routes, featured spots, viewpoints, and explorations in the outdoors in the Kamloops area (and beyond).

Doug started exploring this area in 1976 and continues to follow tracks and routes wherever they lead, with the aid of map, compass, GPSr and camera. After many dead-ends, but also many discoveries, he chose to share this information.

The Kamloops Trails website has a massive number of interesting posts and would be of interest to anyone in Kamloops who enjoys the outdoors. Visit the Kamloops Trails website at: http://www.kamloopstrails.ca/

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