Fossils Discovered in Niagara

Today fossils from the era when Niagara was under the ancient sea can be found deep in the layers of rock of Niagara. The depth of the Niagara Gorge causes many of these fossils to have been exposed along the walls of the gorge.

Fossils found are:

Trilobites (Trilobata) – sea floor crustaceans (425-240 million years ago) found in Rochester, Grimsby and Clinton layers of rock

Snails (Gastropoda) – spiral shells of snails found in Silurian rocks

Sea Lilies (Crinoidea) – sea floor starfish (425 million years ago) found in Rochester shale rock layer – still in existence at bottom of Atlantic Ocean

Horn Coral (Enterolasma Caliculum) grew on sea bottom (425-400 million years ago) found in Lockport and Clinton layers of rock

Lamp Shells (Phyla Brachiopoda) – clam like shells, eighty different species found in the Clinton & Rochester rock layers

Nautilus (Cephalopod) – ancestors of nautilus, squid & cuttlefish (425 million years ago) found in Medina and Queenston rock layers

 

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