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Tag: chemainus river

VicPS field trip: Sunday, July 20, 2025

The VicPS fieldtrip this month will be to the lovely Chemainus River.  The site requires a 15-minute walk on a gentle to moderate grade from the parking lot to the river, the ability to traverse a rocky riverbank, and it’s possible you may want to wade across the slippery rocks of the river to the other side.  It is appropriate for families, and children old enough to be around the river.  All children must be in the company of an adult. 

Expect beautiful views, wet feet and a high probability of finding specimens. Sunday is forecast to be a bit cooler than mid-week, but do bring and use sunscreen.

Details are in the email that each member should have received; contact Jerri Wilkins if you have not received the email.  Please RSVP.

    VicPS meeting Wednesday, January 12, 7 pm

    Our first meeting of 2022 is PARTICIPATORY!!.

    The evening will be structured around a photo tour of the 2021 field trip season, emphasizing specimens collected.  We’ll tap into our collective knowledge to understand the sites and fossils found.

    To participate:

    1. Review the list below of sites/formations visited in 2021,
    2. Dive into your collection and select a few corresponding fossils (many of you have visited these sites/formations over the years!),
    3. Accept the Zoom meeting notice sent to paid VicPS members, and
    4. Show up, share the specimens and knowledge you’ve collected over the years, and help identify specimens.

    Field Trip participants, please have your specimens on hand for show and tell.

    List of VicPS 2021 Field Trip Locales:

    • Muir Creek – Sooke Formation
    • Northwest Bay – Pender (?) Formation
    • Chemainus River – Haslam Formation
    • Stephenson’s Point – Comox Formation
    • Ladysmith – Thicke Road area (Upper Comox (?), Lower Haslam (?)

    See you Wednesday at the Zoom meeting!

    Sep. 27 Field Trip

    When: Sunday, Sept 27, 2020

    Where: Chemainus River

    Directions: Meet at Helmcken Park & Ride at 9am. Carpooling optional/personal decision; masks must be worn if/while carpooling, social distancing mandatory throughout the field trip.

    Exposure: Cliffs along the deep canyon of the Chemainus River expose the black mudstones of the Haslam Formation, an ancient marine environment deposited in the Upper Cretaceous (85MY before present). Fossils can be found high above on the cliff face and loose in the steep piles of scree stretching to river level. Fossil are common in large and small concretions and in situ on this stretch of the river.

    Many of the fossils of the Haslam Formation are representatives of extinct animal groups which have no modern counterparts. The ancient Haslam environment was a shallow sea populated by molluscs, fishes, and giant marine reptiles. Some of the fossils, such as clams and snails, are similar to their modern relatives, but others, such as the extinct ammonites, provide an excellent opportunity to explore changing life and environment over geological time.

    Contact: RSVP Jerri Wilkins via the VicPS Facebook page or via email.