PENNSYLVANIAN TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS: A FIELD GUIDE TO THE SPRINGHILL MINES AND RAGGED REEF FORMATIONS, CUMBERLAND BASIN, NOVA SCOTIA

The Pennsylvanian Cumberland Group crops out in a 4,500-m-thick section exposed in cliffs along the Bay of Fundy in northwestern Nova Scotia. The majority of the section falls within the new “Joggins Fossil Cliffs” UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although now formally recognized as the world’s most important exposure of Pennsylvanian strata, this is the first detailed study of the Springhill Mines and Ragged Reef Formations, which represent the upper 1,500 m of the Cumberland Group.

In this presentation, we present the highlights of several undergraduate research projects in guidebook format. Specifically, we provide detailed maps, measured sections, and photographs that highlight some of the most interesting sedimentological and paleontological features of these units. Topics include lateral accretion deposits in sandy and conglomeratic fluvial systems, braided and fixed (anastomosed?) river deposits, in situ lycopsids in fossil forest horizons, examples of wetland and dryland floodplain facies, levee deposits, enigmatic trace fossils within fluvial deposits, and basin-margin alluvial fans and wetlands. These spectacular exposures provide an unparalled window into the Carboniferous world and are a natural laboratory for exploring ancient depositional environments. We hope that these sections provide a useful framework that will enhance use of these strata for teaching, research, and geotourism.