West Coast Fossils: A Guide to the Ancient Life of Vancouver Island

A decade ago, a nearly complete elasmosaur skeleton was found near Courtenay on Vancouver Island, in rocks dating from 80 million years ago, and it caused a sensation. Finds like this remind us that British Columbia is home to some of the richest marine fossil beds in the world, most of them on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands which lie along the geographically active "ring of fire" encircling the Pacific Ocean. Written by two leading paleontologists, this concise and authoritative guide introduces fossils from the area, from delicate insect wings to razor-sharp shark teeth to coiled ammonites the size of truck tires, each of which was once a living part of an ancient ecosystem. The book includes maps, charts and more than 200 fossil photographs, as well as information for locating, collecting, studying, photographing and preserving fossils, and notes on the ethics of fossil collecting.