A history of research at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs of Nova Scotia, Canada, the world's finest Pennsylvanian section

Abstract

The Joggins section is the finest natural exposure of Pennsylvanian strata anywhere in the world. These towering sea-cliffs fringing the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia have attracted geologists for nearly two hundred years. The earliest detailed study of the site, in 1836, was by Abraham Gesner, the man who later pioneered the technique for the distillation of kerosene. In 1842, Charles Lyell described fossil trees in growth position, an observation that proved the autochthonous origin of coal. In 1843, William Logan, Nova Scotia's first provincial geologist, famously logged the entire section in only five days. When Lyell returned to Joggins with William Dawson, in 1852, they made the sensational discovery of amphibian bones within a fossil tree. In 1859, Dawson found additional skeletons, amongst these the earliest known reptile, Hylonomus lyelli . A dearth in field research followed Dawson's death in 1899 and subsequent studies mainly focused on pre-existing museum collections. Beginning in the late 1980s, Martin Gibling, John Calder and colleagues embarked on a multi-disciplinary research programme, which has now resulted in a new synthesis of the section.