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Construction workers find 445-milion-year-old fossilsBy Nathan HowesOAKVILLE BEAVER STAFFAn Oakville-based construction crew has unearthed a 445 million-year-old chunk of Ontarios past.About two weeks ago, construction consul-tants Bala Rock were in the middle of digging a basement near Chartwell and Cornwall roads when they struck unusually hard rock forma-tions with mysterious impressions on them. At first, Bala Rock President Keith Lahou thought it might have been the remains of a dinosaur. Ive been doing this for a long time and Ivenever seen anything like this stuff. I knew it was different, said Lahou. I didnt want to be filling MICHAEL IVANIN ?/ OAKVILLE BEAVERSUBMITTED PHOTOin something that might have been academically significant.FOSSIL FIND:Keith Lahou, of Bala Rock, shows unearthed fossils and remains that are 445 LASTING IMPRESSION:Fossil shows So he contacted the experts at the Royal million years old. The fossils were discovered while digging for a basement on property in the an impression of the surface of the sea floor Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto.Linbrook Road and Chartwell Road area.from 445-million years ago.As it turns out, the fossils have been buried 16-Mile Creek, Etobicoke Creek, the shore of the mud caused by sediment along the sea floor,or their structures.beneath limestone, soil and dirt for 445 million Georgian Bay, Nottawasaga Bay and slightlysaid Waddington. The rocks represent the environment at the years and are from the late Ordovician period, older rocks can be found to the east of those loca-She also said there are some lines and finertime and the ecology, including the animals and according to Janet Waddington, assistant curator tions.bumps in the smooth surface that may be traceplants and what they lived on.and collection manager from the Department of You do get rocks outcropping, but for thefossils and tracks left by animals that actuallyLahou plans to keep a few samples for himself Natural History-Palaeobiology at the ROM.most part, southern Ontario is covered with alived in the mud.and donate the rest to a silent auction this fall They were interesting. There was nothing huge thickness of soft sediment clays, shales andTheres another layer, sort of darker, withwith proceeds going toward the ROM and other academically important there, but theyre a nice clays and sands and dirt, she said. There aresome white kind of branching structures in it,charitable organizations.interesting glimpse into Ontarios ancient past, areas in Ontario where the rock is very close tothose are actual fossils of bryozoans, which areEvery two months the ROM holds clinics for said Waddington. Theyre a part of the bedrock the surface and theres bare rock exposed at theanimals that actually lived on the sea floor, saidpeople with fossil remains that wish to have them underlining the Toronto area, The Georgian Bay surface up around Lake Simcoe areas.Waddington. They were colonial creatures (that)identified. Formation.There was virtually no fossil record of life everbasically make rock; they take calcium carbonateFor more information, people can visit www.Waddington said the rocks are a part of the having existed on land during the era of theseout of the water and use it to build their skeletonsrom.ca or call 416-586-8000.top of the bedrock and represent a gap in the rocks, Waddington said. geological history of Ontario where there was no At that time, southern Ontario was underfossil records between these rocks and the softer, water and marine. It was under a sea, rather thannon-liquefied sediments that were laid down by freshwater. There would have been algae; therethe last Ice Age.would have been seaweeds, several differentTheres a huge gap that goes straight back to kinds, and there were invertebrate animals, said445 million years. They show just a glimpse of Waddington. Swimming in the sea, the majorwhat the sea floor looked like at the time because predators would have been cephalopods, whichOntario was south of the equator and that mud were squid-like animals.was on the bottom of the ocean, said The rocks also predate the existence of allWaddington.dinosaurs, almost twice as old. The oldest dino-Lahou said the rocks were found beneath a saurs are about 225 million years, she said.sheet of limestone they normally wouldn't expectThe impressions left on the rocks are theto find in that part of Oakville.remains of soft mud that turned into rock, butLahou said they came into contact with the that mud was laid down as sediment on a searocks at a depth of 12 feet.floor that had a rippled surface, WaddingtonWaddington said that this type of rock is com-said.mon and can be found throughout various loca-Its just an impression of what was at thetions around Ontario. For example, the rocktime the surface of the sea floor. Some of the rip-outcrops in places along the Humber River, pley, undulations were probably actual ripples inFREE SHUTTLE service (First Student)Round-trip service from 6pm - midnightREMMRio Can Plaza - front of Home Outfi tters lotUSBurloak Dr. just south of QEW!LAICEPSRoad Closures in effectspecial offerParking is limited5 LESSONS more fun! self confi dence!$for meet people! 25 grace & poise!By yourself or with a partner.New Students Over 21 Only.OAKVILLEHAMILTON225 Lakeshore Rd. E. (2nd Floor)1092 Main Street W.between Dunn St. and George St.near Cline Ave.905 815-3237905 522-3237www.fredastaire.ca7 Wednesday, June 29, 2011 OAKVILLE BEAVER www.insideHALTON.com