Mastodon Fossil Discovery
The first mastodon fossil discovered in Nova Scotia was a femur (thigh bone) discovered in Lower Middle River, Victoria County, Cape Breton island, circa 1833. This specimen has been on display since 1835; compare the mastodon thigh bone with the human leg of Museum geologist Bob Grantham in this mid 1980’s photo. You can still see this bone at the Museum of Natural History in Halifax.The next mastodon report is a molar tooth, found in 1895 at Baddeck, Victoria County.
Several more recent mastodon discoveries have been made. A molar tooth was dredged up on George’s Bank by a scallop dragger, captained by Vernon D’Eon of Middle West Pubnico, and reported in the Halifax Herald newspaper of January 1965. Subsequent to this, in the fall of 1973, a molar was discovered the the glacial gravel being dumped on site of a new student union building at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The gravels had come from James River, near Antigonish. This molar is the the St. Francis Xavier University Geology Department collection.
In October 1989, a complete tusk, a partial second tusk and some small bone fragments were discovered during removal of the overburden at the Fundy Gypsum quarry near Windsor.
There have been various other reports of mastodon finds in Nova Scotia, but no others have been verified or documented so far. All the specimens described above are in the Nova Scotia Museum Vertebrate Paleontology Collection, except the Antigonish tooth.
On October 22, 1991 in the mid-afternoon, the Museum received a phone call from Jim McCubbin, Quarry Superintendent at the Milford Gypsum Quarry of National Gypsum Canada, Ltd. The call was to advise that quarry worker Stanley McMullin had just unearthed “a tusk and some big teeth . . . would we like to have a look at what they found?”. Here is Mr. McMullin with the mastodon lower jaw and teeth.
Bob Grantham, Curator of Geology and Kelley Kozera, Curatorial Assistant, were at the quarry within an hour. The site containing in situ mastodon material was a partially excavated, clay-filled sinkhole. The excavated material was piled beside the sinkhole. Bones were visible in the pile and skull fragments were in the clay of the sinkhole.
It was decided to begin immediate recovery of visible in situ and dump specimens, beginning with removal of the exposed skull. As well, site stabilization would be carried out to protect the bone and the site during the winter. Work continued, but record rainfalls in mid-November threatened massive slumping in the pit. The advice from the Quarry Superintendent was that the site would not last the winter. Because of this possibility, an emergency winter recovery was begun, under difficult conditions. The quarry was rugged and muddy.
Working under a shelter of wooden walls and plastic roof, staff and volunteers excavated and documented many mastodon fragments. When bone was exposed by digging, linoleum knives, hunting knives or dental tools were used to remove the enclosing clays. The bones were left sitting on pedestals of clay. Any sensitive bone was field stabilized on the spot. A field jacket of polyfoam was poured around the bones to protect them during the trip to the Museum. It usually took three to four weeks from first exposure to final removal of a large specimen. Our thanks to National Gypsum for excellent cooperation and help in the excavation.
The bones were found to be in a variety of conditions, ranging from acceptable (10% of bones) to fractured (20%), broken and abraded (30%) and fractured, broken and abraded (40%). All of the bones were wet and fragile.
This mastodon site is a gypsum sinkhole, which appears to have been infilled during the early Wisconsinan (approximately 70,000 to 80,000 years ago). Preliminary evaluation of the stratigraphy of the site indicates an environment first dominated by a fast flowing stream, followed by period of quiescence indicated by about 30 cm of dark grey clay and peat buildup. This was then followed by a second phase of fast flowing water, illustrated by an 8 cm pebble unit.
These are in turn covered by a thick (about 2 metre) sequence of alternating thick and thin clays, with abundant peat and occasional pebbles. Scattered throughout are many logs, branches and occasional full trees. Some of the wood has been partly replaced by minerals.
One bed of interest was encountered, located throughout most of the site about 10cm below the bone horizon. This is a sandy ash unit containing about 20% charcoal fragments. All bones except those directly beneath the skull material have been located above this ash bed.
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