Calgary adventures - Tyndall fossils
Yesterday a group of 20, led by geologist Tako Koning. wandered about the city looking at Tyndall fossils in some of Calgary’s buildings. We started at the Alberta Telephone Building, which was built in 1929 - according to a cornerstone laid by the Honourable Vernor Winfield Smith, Minister of Railways and Telephones. The lower courses of the building are built of Tyndall limestone. The stone is rough and eroded but you can still see a few fossils, other than the distinctive and numerous worm burrows.
We then proceeded to 8th Avenue SW at the corner of 1st Street, to view the old Bank of Montreal building (sadly now the prestigious location of a gym franchise). This is a stunning building made of Tyndall and a close examination shows many more fossils.
We then went on to the NW quadrant of the city, and stopped by the Safeway on 10th Street. There are several blocks of Tyndall in the courtyard - primarily used as seating - but showcase many other species of fossils, including a starfish.
The pièce de résistance however has to be the Senator Patrick Burns building at SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology). It was built sometime in the 1960s and the limestone is still in excellent condition (except where erosion has occurred at the lower levels, likely due to snow and salt). There are a variety of Ordovician fossils visible in its exterior walls. (see also my Photography section).
For more information see Tako’s article in the Alberta Palaeontological Society Bulletin.
📷fossil on the Senator Burns building at SAIT, Calgary, AB (2023)
