We hiked across the Tranquille Hills toward Battle Bluff to get to known fossil beds on shale slopes.   It is about a  2 km hike to the best spots.

Many shale fragments lie on downslopes, washed down by erosion, or left by other fossil hinters.   A number of shale walls can also be excavated.

We found lots of fossils, but the best one was when a shale layer was pried apart to reveal mirror images of a metasequoia branch.

Metasequoia grew in the area in the Eocene era (from 56 to 33.9 million years ago.   We found at least a dozen of these fine specimens.

They stand out best in the lighter colored sedimentary rocks.   in the dark shales (formed in anoxic conditions and/or mineral content), the fossils are harder to spot.

We also found a number of leaves.   They seemed to be aspens and beeches in mudstones.

We have found fossils in a number of areas nearby and we will continue to search shale slopes whenever we get out to hike.