JUAN EMMANUEL Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 After going around in Hamilton, Ontario looking for a river/creek to check out the iconic Niagara Escarpment of the city, I decided to check out the Devil’s Punch Bowl which is located in Stoney Creek, Hamilton. Most of the waterfalls located in the old city of Hamilton are out of reach/barricaded/no-go zones with fines for trespassing because of safety reasons. Nearby Albion Falls and other waterfalls like Tiffany and Chedoke in the old city of Hamilton cannot be explored close up because of the tourists and locals that have died and severely injured themselves from falling while on the cascading waterfall. Today I was surprised to realize that the bottom of the Devil’s Punch Bowl was unbarricaded and so off I went to explore it. It seems the only place that tourists and people go to when visiting the Devil’s Punch Bowl is the observation deck at the top of the falls which offers a nice view of the falls. This is evident as I noticed that there was barely any trash at the bottom of the gorge and down river. The height of this falls is 37 metres. Today the fall is dry with no water. Theres a large Timmy’s cup on the bottom right for size comparison (it isn’t mine though!). There are various formation in this rock exposure of the falls and assigning loose rocks from the ground to the right formation can be a hassle. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JUAN EMMANUEL Posted September 25, 2018 Author Share Posted September 25, 2018 A trail that led me to the gorge. This place is definitely not a safe place to explore as the ravine is deep and the trails have uneven ground. The stream which has no water. The lower falls of the Devil’s Punch Bowl. This is a remarkable contact of the Whirlpool formation (the top white limestone) and the Queenston formation (lower red shale). This is where the late Ordovician (Hirnantian) meets the early Silurian (Rhuddanian). Again the fall is dry. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JUAN EMMANUEL Posted September 25, 2018 Author Share Posted September 25, 2018 I was surprised at some of the fossiliferous rocks I came across. Some hash plates were abundant in certain rocks, like the one above which likely belongs to the Manitoulin formation. This rock has some Cornulites sp, bryozoans and brachiopods like Leptaena sp. There is also a trilobite tail at the top edge of the rock which I cannot identify. An unidentified coral I found on the Manitoulin formation. It is squished on what I believe is shale of a different nature from the Georgian Bay formation. Finding these fossils are a treat for me considering the Queenston formation in the city does not contain any fossils at all. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JUAN EMMANUEL Posted September 25, 2018 Author Share Posted September 25, 2018 A block of rock with a nickel. There are burrows on it and I cannot determine what formation it came from. Some trace fossils on a boulder that I believe came from the Whirlpool formation. The Whirlpool is mostly unfossiliferous however there are reports of trace fossils on the formation. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JUAN EMMANUEL Posted September 25, 2018 Author Share Posted September 25, 2018 This is the site where most of the fauna fossils in the pics above came from. The rocks with animals came from certain layers of the Manitoulin formation of the Cataract Group. Apparently the Manitoulin formation has corals and it is the Manitoulin formation that comes after the Whirlpool formation. The Manitoulin formation here is shown below the slopes of eroded shale. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JUAN EMMANUEL Posted September 25, 2018 Author Share Posted September 25, 2018 After making my way up the dry stream I come across the bottom of the falls. There are loose rocks from different formations at the bottom and most collect at the sides of the falls. The rock exposure itself is assigned to multiple formations. The Rochester formation is exposed here and I hope one day I could come across some of its rocks on the bottom. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JUAN EMMANUEL Posted September 25, 2018 Author Share Posted September 25, 2018 The shale of the Cabot Head formation. Wave rippled boulder, formation unknown. Hmm, I wonder what this could be? Not sure of the formation with this one. A mix of loose rocks on the sides of the falls. I couldn’t find any fossils from this jumble compared to the Manitoulin formation down stream. I hope to come again another time. Though this is my first time on the Devil’s Punch Bowl and have not found anything spectacular like I did in the Georgian Bay formation of Toronto, I believe this location has potential to yield nice fossils from the early to Mid Silurian which I’d like to add to my collection. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Awesome report. Kudo's,JE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innocentx Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Beautiful area with exceptional exposures. You made some nice finds and I enjoyed your report. Patty "Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Love the ripple marks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Good report. I like those Conulites especially. Do you think some of those trace fossils might be mud cracks instead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JUAN EMMANUEL Posted September 25, 2018 Author Share Posted September 25, 2018 2 minutes ago, Wrangellian said: Good report. I like those Conulites especially. Do you think some of those trace fossils might be mud cracks instead? Could be. I believe it depends on the environment of the deposition and this varies with each of the formation shown in the rock exposure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Yes, it must be hard to sort that out in a place like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRealWiwaxia Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Really unique place, stay safe on the trail. "A true man of honor feels humbled himself when he cannot help humbling others." - Robert E. Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Nice report on a beautiful location with some nice finds. Thanks for sharing. Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Brilliant report thank you. I liked your photos too and beautiful ripple marks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 I didn't realize until now that you've moved to Hamilton. Thanks for the informative and entertaining report! Looks like a great area to explore. I'll have to get down there next time I come over. Be nice to team up with you. Are you game? Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Hi Juan! I'm glad to hear that you've found an area close to your new home that may yield some fossil goodies for you - I look forward to seeing all of your future fossil finds! (And I love the hash plate with Cornulites, by the way!) Monica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 The trilobite pygidium in the hash plate might be Flexicalymene sp. If Ordovician, it may be F. senaria; if Silurian, there are a number of very nice calymenids reported in the Lockport, Eramosa, and possibly the Amabel Fms (although finding more than partials can be challenging). 3 ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Excellent report! Thanks for the virtual Field Trip! Regards, Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JUAN EMMANUEL Posted September 25, 2018 Author Share Posted September 25, 2018 5 hours ago, Kane said: The trilobite pygidium in the hash plate might be Flexicalymene sp. If Ordovician, it may be F. senaria; if Silurian, there are a number of very nice calymenids reported in the Lockport, Eramosa, and possibly the Amabel Fms (although finding more than partials can be challenging). The fossiliferous rocks are mostly Silurian. Go below the Whirlpool formation and you’ll find that the Queenston formation is all late Ordovician red shales with no fossils. The rocks that go above the Whirlpool are all Silurian. Can Dalmanites be found in the beginning of the Silurian? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 23 minutes ago, JUAN EMMANUEL said: The fossiliferous rocks are mostly Silurian. Go below the Whirlpool formation, where the Silurian stratas start, and the Queenston is all late Ordovician red shales with no fossils. The rocks that go above the Whirlpool are all Silurian. Can Dalmanites be found in the beginning of the Silurian? WRT to Dalmanites, according to Ludvigsen: "This dalmanitid trilobite is relatively common in a number of Lower and Middle Silurian formations in southern Ontario, but complete specimens are essentially confined to the shales of the Rochester Formation." (Ludvigsen, R. (1979) Fossils of Ontario: Part 1 The Trilobites, ROM, p. 65). Dalmanites fragments are reported in the Cataract, which is the lowermost Silurian strata in your area (although the stratigraphic nomenclature may have changed ). Although, in this case, the pygidium doesn't quite look like Dalmanites (as those usually will have evidence of a pygidial terminal spike, and a narrower pygidial axis than your fragment, which puts me more in mind of a calymenid). A closer image may or may not confirm this better. For comparison, here is Dalmanites limulurus from Middleport, NY. Image from: Lawrance and Stammers (2014). Trilobites of the World. Manchester: SSP. 2 ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Excellent report! I never visited that site, thought I had read about it in Tom Bolton's GSC publication on the Silurian of the Niagra Escarpment. I recall that there is a species of calceocrinoid that was described from that locality. Interesting that the site is still accessible. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 The mystery pygidium is: Encrinurus sp. figure from: Gon, S.M. 2009 A Pictorial Guide to the Orders of Trilobites. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archie Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Great report really enjoyed the beautiful location shots! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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