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Wendy Sloboda is a dinosaurhunter! In 1987, when she was

just 19 years old, Wendy made a veryspecial find. This is her story.

“I’ve always loved looking forfossils. While I was growing up inWarner, near the Milk River, myparents and I went for walks to look forthem. Then one day, when I was older,I was walking near Devil’s Coulee. Onthe dry, sandy soil, I found what Ithought might be bits of dinosaur eggs.Soon scientists from the TyrrellMuseum came to investigate.

“In a few days we made a specialfind on a nearby hillside. We foundnests that had whole fossilized eggsand baby dinosaurs! We were soexcited. It was a unique find.Something like this could only happenin Alberta!”

C H A P T E R

2 Alberta’s FossilHeritage

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Alberta’s StoryIn the last chapter, you learned how the land helpsto give Alberta its identity. In this chapter, you willfind out how Alberta’s fossils also help to makethe province unique. You will learn what fossilscan tell about Alberta’s past. You will find out whyfossils are important today and how they areprotected. You will discover why fossils are animportant part of our heritage—a part of the pastthat we still value because it helps make us whatwe are today.

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Fossils are the remains orshapes of ancient plantsand animals that haveturned to stone.

words matter !

Inquiring Minds?Here are some questions to guide your inquiry for this chapter:

• Why are fossils important to Alberta?• How are fossils part of Alberta’s identity?

Look for answers in this chapter. If you’d like to know more, lookfor information in other sources.

This is a fossil of a babydinosaur.

I wonder how fossils make Albertaunique. To find out more, I will• ask questions as I read• use the question words Who,

What, When, Where, Why, How,and If

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Look at the fossilsbelow. What cluesdo they give aboutAlberta’s past? Witha partner, write aparagraph to shareyour ideas.

Skill Smart Fossils are remains of the past. They give us hintsabout what Alberta was like millions of years ago.Some fossils are pieces of an ancient plant or animalthat have turned to stone over a very long time. Othersshow the shapes of plants or animals that have beenpressed into mud and hardened over time. Fossils tellus stories. We can study them to learn about the plantsand animals that no longer exist on Earth.

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What Do Fossils Tell About Alberta?

These fossils are now rock. What were they before?

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What Are Other Clues to thePast?

Dinosaurs are walking through hugeswamps and ponds with sandy shores. In

the distance, there are forests with hundreds ofdinosaurs guarding their nests. The nests have eggs inthem, each one about the size of a volleyball. Someeggs nearby have just hatched. The babies are overhalf a metre long. They can’t walk yet, and they don’thave crests on their heads as their parents do. ◆

How do we know that this scene could once havehappened in Alberta? If you said that fossils help to tellus, you were right. Remember when Wendy found thefossil eggshells? Dinosaur fossils like the ones Wendyfound are another clue to Alberta’s past. They tell uswhere the dinosaurs lived. They tell us what types ofdinosaurs lived here. They tell us how big the dinosaurswere. Fossils can also give clues about what the landmight have been like millions of years ago.

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Think about the landaround yourcommunity. How is itdifferent from Albertalong ago, as it isdescribed on this page?

ThinkingIt ThroughThis is what an artist thinks

some of the dinosaurs inAlberta looked like millions ofyears ago. Today, we call thesedinosaurs Hypacrosaurus(hi-PAC-row-SAW-rus).

Imaginethis!

I wonder what kinds ofdinosaurs lived inAlberta. I will check theInternet to find outmore.

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50

Fossils do not form very often. Millions of animals dieand leave no traces. Alberta is unique because so manyfossils are found here. There are very few other places inthe world with as many fossils. Why does Alberta have somany fossils?

Fossils are found in Alberta because of the way theland formed. In Chapter 1, you learned that the landchanged over time. In some places, there wereearthquakes and volcanoes. Plants and animals werecovered over and preserved. They became fossils buriedbelow layers of dry soil and rock.

Over millions of years, water and Alberta’s strongwinds carried away the soil and rock. In parts of Alberta’shot and dry grasslands, many fossils were uncovered.This was the area known as the badlands, but theselands aren’t “bad” for fossils. They are perfect!

Scientists who study fossilsto learn about very oldforms of life are calledpaleontologists(pay-lee-on-TOL-o-jists).

words matter !

Why Do We Find Fossils in Alberta?

These paleontologistsare digging for fossils inthe badlands, near theRed Deer River. Whatcan you tell about theland from thisphotograph? Whatmakes the land perfectfor finding fossils?

One of the most famouspaleontologists in theworld is Dr. Phil Currie,professor at theUniversity of Alberta.

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51

SKILLPOWER

5151

What do you know about Alberta’s badlands? You can use theInternet to find out more. But beware! There are thousands ofsites, and not all of them have accurate information. Followthese guidelines:• Ask your teacher or a librarian to

help you choose a “search engine.” A search engine is a way to findsites.

• You will need to type in a topic.Choose a few keywords. Find outhow to use the words and or not tofind sites that are more likely tohave the information you need.

• Look at the sites on your list. Identifymuseums or universities. They are likely to have reliable information.

Finding Information onthe Internet

Practise the Skill1. Searching: Use the Internet to find answers to these questions.

a) Where are the badlands?

b) How far are the badlands from your community?

c) What plants and animals can you find in the badlands?

2. Sorting: How many sites did you visit? What made you skip somesites and not others? Which ones were most useful?

3. Selecting: Now share your answers to these questions.

a) Did you all use the same search engine?

b) Did you use the same Web sites?

c) Did you all have similar answers? If not, how can you check whichinformation is accurate?

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Most of Alberta’s fossils are found in the badlands, butthey are also found in other parts of the province. Themap below shows some of the places in Alberta wherefossils have been found. Match the numbers on themap with the photographs on the opposite page to seewhich fossils have been found in these locations. Youcan see that many different types of fossils have beenuncovered. Not many other places in the world havesuch a variety of fossils.

52

Where Are Fossils Found inAlberta?

Alberta’s Fossil Finds

Petrified wood is also a fossil. Itis wood that has turned tostone. Petrified wood is theprovincial stone of Alberta. Whydo you think it was chosen?

■ What would you doif you found a fossil?

■ Post your ideas onthe bulletin board.

■ Read what otherstudents think.

Skill Smart

RedDeer

River

ALBERTA

MagrathTaber

FortMcMurray

Milk River

Drumheller 12

5

GrandeCache

6

4

3

CastleMountain

Legend

Main area wherebadlands arefound

0 100 200

kilometres

300

N

S

WE

What other fossils canbe found in Alberta? I’llask a librarian to helpme find out more frombooks and CDs.

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3 4

5 6

1 2

Fossils of small sea creatures have been found at CastleMountain, near Banff.

Many different types of fossils have been foundnear Drumheller, in the badlands.

Ammonite, a fossilized shell, has been found atMagrath, near Lethbridge.

Amber, a fossil made from ancient tree sap, hasbeen found at the coal mines near Taber.

Sea reptile remains have been found in the tarsands near Fort McMurray.

Dinosaur tracks can be seen at Grande Cache,near Jasper National Park.

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How Did Alberta Become Known for Fossils?

From the earliest times, the First Nations of Albertaknew that there were fossils in the land. The Blackfootcalled some of the fossils they found iinisskimm, or“buffalo stones.” They knew that these fossils camefrom animals from the past. They called the animals“grandfather of the buffalo.” These iinisskimm are stillconsidered sacred.

Tyrrell’s FindIn 1884, a fossil find made Alberta famous aroundthe world. Joseph Tyrrell was looking for coal. Hewas also mapping the land between the OldmanRiver and the Red Deer River. With his crew, hecamped in the badlands, close to where Drumhelleris now.

Tyrrell soon made an exciting discovery. He found the bones of a huge, meat-eating dinosaur. Itwould later be called Albertosaurus, after theprovince where it was found.

This Piikani pouch was used tostore iinisskimm. It belonged toCharlie Crow Eagle, who livednear Lethbridge.

This is a model of Albertosaurus.Tyrrell took the bones to Calgary,but they were so big, he couldnot get them all into his wagon!

The iinisskimm [in-nis-kim]are special stones withgreat spiritual importance.Some, but not all of them,are fossils.

words matter !

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What Happened to Alberta’sFossils?Tyrrell reported his discovery, and before long,collectors began coming to Alberta to look for fossils.The badlands became known as the most importantfossil field in Canada. Soon there was a rush to findfossils! Many more people came to Alberta, eager to seewhat they could uncover.

In 1909, a collector named Barnum Brown came tothe Red Deer Valley. Brown worked for an Americanmuseum. He found so many fossils that he was knownas “Mr. Bones.” Brown sent thousands of fossils back tothe United States.

Then people began to wonder why the fossils werebeing taken out of Canada. In 1912, the Canadiangovernment hired its own fossil hunters. The fossilsthey found are now displayed at the CanadianMuseum of Nature in Ottawa and at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.

Over the years, many thousands of fossils werediscovered and shipped away from Alberta.

ThinkingIt Through

Why do you thinkpeople felt it wasimportant to keep thefossils in Canada?

Barnum Brown spent five yearssearching for fossils in Alberta.

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Brianna Hunt lives nearLethbridge. One day, she waswalking with her dad next toa river. She saw aninteresting rock and pickedit up. It was a fossil. Whatdo you think Brianna shouldhave done with this fossil?What would you do?

Fossils can be worth a lot ofmoney. Some people who findfossils sell them. There are many privatecollectors who want to buy fossils. You can even buythem on the Internet.

There are some people in Alberta who dig up fossilsto sell or keep. Should they be allowed to do so? Read thefollowing views to learn more about what differentpeople think about this issue.

ViewpointsViewpoints

Should Alberta’s Fossils Be Protected?

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Thousands of fossils get washed awayby the rain. There is no waypaleontologists can get them all, socollectors should be able to havesome.

I love the dinosaur tooth Ibought! I can imagine theanimal that had that tooth.Fossils help bring the pastalive for me!

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These pieces of jewellery are madefrom ammonite, a kind of fossilizedsnail. Some companies havepermission to find ammonite anduse it in jewellery.

Alberta has so many fossilremains. What difference doesit make if I have a few teethand anklebones?

People who collect fossils could be takingremains of an animal we know nothingabout. An expert has to look at the fossils.

Fossils are a valuable resource. We’dbe upset if people went into a parkand started cutting flowers or trees.We should be just as upset whenthey take fossils.

Over to YOU!

1. As a group, discuss each of the viewpoints. Which opinion do you agree with the most? Why? Did your opinion change after reading these viewpoints?

2. How do you think Alberta’s fossils should be protected? Brainstormsome ideas in your group.

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5858

How Do We Protect Our Fossils?Until 1978, anyone could collect fossils in Alberta.People who found fossils could keep them or sell them.No one recorded who collected the fossils or where theywere kept.

In 1978, that changed. Alberta passed a law toprotect its fossil heritage.• The province now owns all fossils that are found in

Alberta. People are allowed to collect fossils that arelying on the ground, but they must report anythingthey find.

• In some areas where many fossils are found, no onecan pick them up. Only paleontologists are allowedto dig for fossils, and they need a special permit todo so. The fossils they find are sent to museums,where they are preserved and studied.

Brianna Hunt and her dad reported their find to the Royal Tyrrell Museum. A scientist at the museumtold them that it was a fossil of a squid. Brianna washappy to hear that she could keep the fossil becauseshe found it on the surface of the ground, outside aprotected area.

ALBERTAVOICES

Sharing a Discovery

[We] want to share thisdiscovery with the rest ofthe world and agree to havethe remains of this creatureremoved from our lands.[We] have a great respectfor our Mother Earththrough our culture andspiritual beliefs. Throughthis agreement, we arecontributing in a positiveway.

Chief Chris ShadeKainai First Nation

Rick Tailfeathers, of the Kainai First Nation, is presenting a curator at theRoyal Tyrrell Museum with a mosasaur fossil found on Kainai land. This isonly the second mosasaur found in Alberta.

If fossils were notprotected, how would Ilearn about Alberta’spast?

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Prepare a short speechto explain why youthink DinosaurProvincial Park isimportant. You couldrecord your speech.

Skill Smart

Why Was Dinosaur Provincial ParkCreated?

In the early 1900s, one Albertan was worried about thenumber of fossils being taken away. This person wasGeorge Anderson. In 1914, he started a campaign toprotect the fossils. To keep people from taking thefossils away, he wanted to turn the Red Deer Valley intoa protected area. Anderson wrote about his idea in thelocal newspaper. He sent letters to the Canadiangovernment and to the Alberta government. For years,nothing happened.

Anderson did not give up. Slowly, more peoplebecame interested in his idea. Newspapers began toshow their support. Finally, in 1955, DinosaurProvincial Park was created.

In 1979, Dinosaur Provincial Park became a WorldHeritage Site. World Heritage Sites are places that areimportant to the whole world. The park has the world’srichest collection of fossils from 75 million years ago.Fossils of dinosaurs, crocodiles, fish, insects, and plantshave been found there.

Paleontologists come toDinosaur Provincial Park tostudy the fossils. On thehillsides, visitors can see layersof rock and tour the dinosaur“bone beds.”

These are fossil bones in the ground at DinosaurProvincial Park.

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A L B E R T AA D V E N T U R E

I had a great time when I

visited Dinosaur Provincial

Park, near Drumheller. The

park is in the badlands. You can

go on hikes through the park

with a guide. My guide taught

me lots about the dinosaurs,

plants, and animals that lived

here millions of years ago. I

learned that large rivers used

to flow through the area.

Now, there are just creeks. I

also found out that cacti

grow in the badlands.

Dinosaur Provincial Park

ALBERTA

Lethbridge

Medicine Hat

Drumheller

DinosaurProvincialPark

60

The best thing about the park was

seeing fossils right in the ground. I

felt just like a paleontologist!

I’m happy I live in Alberta. No

other province has a Dinosaur

Provincial Park!

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In 1990, the Tyrrell Museum was renamed the Royal Tyrrell Museum. Whatdo you think the name “Royal” says about the importance of the museum?

Think of three things you would like to find out about theRoyal Tyrrell Museum. Look in books or on the Internet.Report your findings in a photo essay, picture essay, orPowerPoint presentation.

Skill Smart

Why Is the Royal Tyrrell Museum So Important?

The Tyrrell Museum opened in 1985. It was namedafter Joseph Tyrrell. The museum was built inDrumheller, close to Dinosaur Provincial Park and closeto where Tyrrell found Albertosaurus in 1884.

Because of the museum, Alberta’s fossils can remainin the province. Paleontologists in Alberta now have aplace to study their finds, and people living in theprovince can see the fossils on display. Visitors andscientists come from all over Canada and the world tolearn about life in Alberta millions of years ago.

I want to know moreabout Albertosaurus. Didit only live in Alberta?

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In this chapter, you have seen how Alberta’s fossilshelp to give the province its sense of identity. But doyou know another way that ancient plants andanimals are important to Alberta?

Some of the plants and animals that were buriedlong ago did not turn into fossils. Over a long time andunder the weight of the rock that covered them, theyturned into coal, oil, and gas. We call these resourcesfossil fuels because they come from ancient plantsand animals.

Alberta is rich in fossil fuels, just as it is in fossils.Fossil fuels are very important to Alberta today. Manypeople work in the coal, oil, and gas industries. Coal,oil, and gas from Alberta are sent to other provincesand other countries. They can be used to heat homes orprovide power for items like computers and ovens.Gasoline from fossil fuels is used to run cars and othermachines.

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We call oil, gas, and coalfossil fuels because theycome from the remains ofancient plants andanimals. These fuels can beused for heat and energy.

words matter !

I wonder how fossilfuels help to giveAlberta its identity.

The dark area in this photo is a coal seam, which is a layer of coalunderneath different kinds of rock. Coal seams like this one are found inmany places where fossils are also found.

Some fossils haveturned into fuels thatpeople can use toproduce power andenergy. How mightyour life be different ifyou did not havepower for yourfavourite machines?Explain.

ThinkingIt Through

What Are Fossil Fuels?

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H O W F O S S I L F U E L S F O R M

It’s hard to believe, but at one time,much of Alberta was covered byocean. Over time, millions of tinyplants and animals that lived in theocean died. Slowly they were coveredby layers of silt and sand.

Over millions of years, the oceansbegan to disappear. The remains ofplants and animals were buried deeperand deeper. Heat and pressure of thesilt and sand turned them into oil, gas,and coal.

Today, we remove the oil, gas, andcoal from the ground by using manydifferent methods. You will learn moreabout this in the next chapter.

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OCEAN300–400 million years ago

OCEAN50–100 million years ago

Sand and Silt

Plant and Animal Remains

ALBERTAToday

Sand and Silt

Rock

Oil, Gas, and Coal Deposits

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Ask Your Own Questions With a partner, brainstorm some questions youwould like to ask about Alberta’s fossil heritage.Use the Internet to try to find answers to yourquestions. Look back at the steps on page 51for hints.

Create a WebPrint the words fossil heritage in the centre of a page. Showhow fossils are protected. How are they part of Alberta’sidentity? Use photos, drawings, or words.

Make a ChartHow did the land look millions of years ago? How does it looktoday? What has stayed the same? Look through the text, visitthe library, or check the Internet for information. You could usetechnology to make your chart.

Plan a Tour In a small group, plan a tour in Dinosaur Provincial Park. Planwhat you will tell visitors about Alberta’s fossil heritage as yougo on a hike. What might they see, hear, or smell? What willyou do at the park? Now role-play your tour by showinganother group around the park.

Give Your Opinion Look back at the Skill Smart on page 52. What was youropinion then? What is your opinion now? Ask your teacher tohelp you make a flow chart. Show what you would do if youfound a fossil today.

Set Your Skills in Motion

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Inquiring Minds?

Look What You Have Learned!

Alberta’s fossil heritage helps to make the province unique. Veryfew other places have as many fossils. We protect our fossilheritage in several different ways. We have laws that preventpeople from taking fossils away, and special areas like DinosaurProvincial Park are protected. The Royal Tyrrell Museum preservesand displays fossils for all Albertans. Fossils and fossil fuels are alsoimportant to Alberta today. They are part of Alberta’s identity.

Take Time to ReflectBefore you go on to the next chapter, think about what you havelearned in this one.• How did you use technology to find information?• Which words can you use to ask questions?• What did you learn that will help you the next time you use

technology to find information?

Choose something from this chapter to save for yourAlberta Treasure Chest.

Review the inquiry questions for this chapter:• Why are fossils important to Alberta?• How are fossils part of Alberta’s identity?

Tell about what you have learned by writing a shortreport. Think about the types of plants and animalsthat were in Alberta millions of years ago. What didthey leave behind? How do they help to make Albertawhat it is today? Add pictures to your report and sharewith a younger student.

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