Fossil Hunting at Norman Wells

Norman Wells has a reputation with fossil hunters. A quarry, east of town, which supplied rock to build man-made islands in the Mackenzie River, is a convenient point to start a hunt for 65 million year old fossils. The limestone walls of the quarry hide ancient corals, stromatoporoids and bivalves. A layer of shale above contains impressions of early plant life in what was once a seabed. Also plainly visible in the quarry are black lines called stylolites – bitumen that has leaked into pores in the rock. A guide to the fossils is available from the Northwest Territories government office, and staff will direct you to other great fossil hunting areas nearby.