Bactulites

Specimen Summary

Potato Range, Chilcotin, BC

This sample comes from the Potato Range mountains, east of Tatlayoko Lake in the Chilcotin region of central BC. It contains many fragments of Baculites fossils. Baculites are an extinct genus of cephalopods related to ammonites. Like ammonites, Baculites swam in oceans worldwide during the Cretaceous. Unlike ammonites, Baculites had only slightly curved shells and have left behind mainly rod-like fossils. Baculites fossils are very brittle, so most of the fossils we see today are only fragments, like the ones in this sample. Baculites are thought to have floated in the water column, controlling their buoyancy by releasing gas through a series of chambers inside their shells, just like Nautilus today.

The exact sample location is uncertain, but it’s probably within the Relay Mountain Group of rocks that make up most of the Potato Range. The rocks are mainly sedimentary and include mudstones, siltstones and sandstones, as well as some fossil beds that also contain belemnites and ammonites. Overall, the package of rocks represents a period of sea level change during the Cretaceous, recorded by the presence of different types of sedimentary rocks and fossils. This particular specimen contains fossil fragments in sandstone. It might have formed in a shallow ocean environment, not too far from the ancient shoreline.

Specimen Data

 

The information listed below relates to the current holding location or collection that the sample is from, and whether the item is viewable at that location or is part of a private collection. Coordinates are given as guides, and we remind you that collecting specimens from these locations is not allowed. Caution is advised visiting such sites and Below BC assumes no responsibility for any injuries or trespassing charges that may occur as a result of the viewer entering these sites.

Collection Details

Original Collection:

Association for Mineral Exploration (AME)

Sub Collection:

-

Collection ID:

AME-168

Virtual Museum ID:

19-AME168

Accessibility:

Date Added to VM:

2017-11-02

Location Information

Sample Origin:

Between Tatylakoko Lake and Chilco Lake, Potatoe Range, Tatla Lake, Chilcotin, B.C.

Specific Site:

-

UTM Easting:

403667.6725

UTM Northing:

5724021.028

Datum:

10 (NAD 83)

Coordinate Accuracy:

Approximate

Specimen Details

VM Category:

Fossil

Primary Features:

Bactulites

Primary Mineral Formula:

-

Primary Category:

-

Secondary Features:

Advanced Geological Information

 

The following section provides geological data relating to the specimen or the site it was collected from, when available. Information has been obtained from various sources including private and government datasets but may not be up to date. Any geological time periods or ages listed often relate to the primary geology of the area, and may not be the actual date of an event such as mineral formation.

Geological Formation:

N/A

Geological Period:

N/A

Stratigraphic Age:

N/A

Geological Belt:

N/A

Geological Terrane:

N/A

Minfile ID:

N/A

Minfile Link:

N/A

Site Details:

N/A

Additional Images