Keenan's Blogiddy Blog

What is reputed to be the world's oldest reptile fossil is returning to Nova Scotia for the first time since it was sent overseas more than 100 years ago. The Hylonomus lyelli is 312 million years old and was discovered in a petrified tree stump near Joggins in the Bay of Fundy, 250 kilometres north of Halifax. The fossil was uncovered by Nova Scotian geologist John William Dawson in 1859 but was handed over to the British Museum around the turn of the century. It's now part of the collection at the Natural History Museum in London. The skeleton is on display for the next six months at the Joggins Fossil Centre until Oct. 31. "If you look closely, you can see elements that you would recognize," said the centre's chief paleontologist Melissa Grey. "Bits of the jaw with teeth and the back bone and the tail and [some] of the leg as well." The fossil is so delicate, it had to be delivered by hand. The Hylonomus lyelli is only about 20 centimetr...

I haven't updated my blog, but this time I won't blame laziness. Winter sucked. Too much snow and cold as heck. I took the time to actually start up on some online courses related in the field of Geology and Paleontology to be better prepared for the new season. I'm glad to say that I've retained a lot in the past few months and made some headway. This just made me realize how much I love rocks and the past. I've recently gone on a few fossil hunting trips, even as back as March. I just couldn't wait till the weather got warmer. I'll post the recent trips I went on a resume of how 2010 went. Stay tuned! - Keenan

"Geologists from Germany and Ireland are in southwestern New Brunswick this week to evaluate a proposal to create North America's first United Nations geopark. The designation would cover an area from Lepreau Falls to Fundy National Park and inland to the Norton Fossil Field. It would also include popular tourist attractions such as the Saint John River's Reversing Falls, where the stream forces its way through a narrow opening in billion-year-old rock. The designation would highlight important geological features and the stories related to them. In order to get the project running, the group needs United Nations approval through UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The UN describes a geopark as a scenic area of special geoscientific significance, rare natural attributes and aesthetically ornamental value. Geoparks are popular sites for sightseeing and cultural recreation, but also a key protected area of geological heritage and bas...

Throwing out there that this might be the first scifi-slash-gaming-slash-fantasy convention East of Quebec: Hal-Con ! Convention will happen the weekend of October 29th to the 31st. The schedules not 100% updated on their site, but for their first Con, the guest list is impressive! I'm a bit trek fan and Walter Koenig will be there. CHEKOV!!! Not to forget the lovely Denise Crosby aka Tasha Yar from Trek: TNG. InnerSPACE, hosted by SPACE, will be featuring the event. I'm very so hoping that I'll be off that weekend, I'm a crossing ma fingers! Hal-Con 2010 / Oct 29th-31st The Lord Nelson Hotel 1515 South Park St. Halifax, NS B3J 2L2, CANADA (902) 423-6331 www.lordnelsonhotel.com

I have two weeks of vacation coming and I'm planning some heavy traveling in search of interesting sites. Today I had the luck of catching a local news cast about a museum located in Hantsport, Nova Scotia, Canada. From the location of Hantsport, the cliffs are rich in fossils and the local museum is claiming to be holding over 35 tons of specimens! This is a good chance to see first hand the fossil tracks of animals that walked the land over 350 million years ago. I'm definitely adding this to my to do list. If you are in that area, stop by and peek back in time where life started to crawl on Earth. Blue Beach Fossil Museum 127 Blue Beach Road Hantsport, Nova Scotia, CANADA

I posted a few days ago that I've been going on a few treks in the area, looking for rocks and fossils. The Maritimes provinces are considered a gold mine when it comes to fossils. Reading up on the geology of this small part of Canada, it was witness of the many changes that the Earth went through for more then 4 billion years! Many communities celebrate this fact and some are even pushing to have this little part of the world recognized internationally. I was surprised to find out that some of the sites I've visited hasn't really been on the radar. A few days ago I went to explore such a site. Beaumont is a small french Acadian community situated not too far from the town of Memramcook, here in Southern New Brunswick. Beaumont is a picturesque example of how it would have looked like when Acadians lived when they first came here, with the vast farmlands, the reclaimed marshes turned into irrigable land, and the herds of cows roaming with ease, living la vida loca...