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For many years, the fossil record of the latest Carboniferous to early Permian redbeds of Prince Edward Island (PEI) was considered to be sparse and inconsequential. Its most famous famous fossil Bathygnathus borealis, the first Dimetrodon discovery in 1845, was considered an anomaly. This perception changed with the publication describing the exceptional parareptile Erpytonyx arsenaultorum discovered in 1995. The footprint record of tetrapods was unknown prior to the 1980s, when trackways were reported from Point Prim and Malpeque. Since that time discoveries of tetrapod footprints have grown at an increasing rate and at increasing number of localities. The discovery in September 2022 of a yet undescribed articulated tetrapod skeleton near the Erpetonyx site caused an unexpected media stir that brought the fossil record of the Island into many people's homes. Subsequently in September 2022 the wrath of Hurricane Fiona was felt most profoundly on the north shore of PEI; large tetrapod trackway-bearing sandstone blocks in the National Park were completely removed in that event, while resulting erosion brought to light many new sites, across the north shore in particular. The footprint record represents a diverse record of vertebrates, favouring reptilian taxa from the diminutive Hyloidichnus sp. to Dimetropus sp., one of the largest early Permian reptilian taxa. The fossil record of tetrapods and their trackways now places PEI firmly in the league of the southwestern USA and Germany as important biodiverse paleoequatorial vertebrate sites of the early Permian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UNESCO World Heritage status is the highest honour that may be bestowed on a palaeontological site. In addition to heightening conservation status, it confers international recognition of a locality's ‘outstanding universal value’ and often triggers the release of substantial regional development funds. Despite these incentives it is, perhaps, not surprising that only a handful of fossil sites have successfully navigated the World Heritage selection process. In this feature, we draw on our recent experience of developing a World Heritage bid for the Pennsylvanian ‘Coal Age’ locality of Joggins, Nova Scotia. As well as demonstrating the huge significance of Joggins, we hope that our findings will provide valuable guidelines for the assessment of World Heritage fossil sites in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rich fossil assemblage discovered from the classic Pennsylvanian locality of Joggins, Nova Scotia, is here described for the first time. The 2 m-thick Hebert sandstone, within the lower Joggins Formation of early Langsettian age, is the most productive stratum at Joggins of terrestrial tetrapods and the pulmonate gastropod Dendropupa vetusta exclusive of the historic fossil forest locality of Dawson and Lyell, and the most productive Pennsylvanian locality in the world of the large unionoid bivalve genus Archanodon. Although the land snail–archanodontid bivalve–tetrapod assemblage of the Hebert Sandstone comprises a unique late Paleozoic terrestrial dryland biota, individual taxa were not endemic to drylands alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new specimen of Batrachichnus salamandroides was recovered from a recently discovered fossil-bearing site situated along the southern shore of Grand Lake, New Brunswick, among a diverse ichnofaunal assemblage from the Middle Pennsylvanian (upper Bolsovian; lower Moscovian), upper Minto Formation. The identity of the tracemaker of this ichnogenus is reinterpreted as a composite of various late Paleozoic tetrapod taxa, based on similarities of the postcranial skeletons, notably that of the manus and pes, of both temnospondyls and some “microsaurs”. These results indicate that the tracemaker of the monospecific ichnogenus Batrachnichus is not limited solely to a temnospondyl tracemaker, as previously interpreted, and that some “microsaurs” should also be considered among tracemaker candidates for this ichnotaxon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation-induced sedimentary structures (VISS) are primary structures formed by the interaction of detrital sediment with in situ plants. VISS provide physical evidence of vegetation's fundamental role in mediating sediment accumulation and erosion in clastic depositional systems. Despite the abundance of modern VISS, descriptions from the ancient record are surprisingly rare. Analysis of fossil forests in floodplain strata of the Pennsylvanian Joggins Formation has identified seven types of VISS. Five hydrodynamic types comprise simple forms developed around a single plant (centroclinal cross-strata, scratch circles, upturned beds) and complex forms where structures have amalgamated between several plants (coalesced scour fills, scour-and-mound beds). Two types (mudstone-filled hollows, downturned beds) form by the decay of an entombed plant and represent infilling of an empty hollow and/or soft-sediment deformation. Hydrodynamic types are present in both dryland and wetland settings, whereas decay-related types occur only in dryland settings where the water table was perennially or periodically low. VISS represent significant accumulations of sediment and are present in a high proportion of Joggins Formation strata. The paucity of descriptions from the ancient record suggests that these structures have been overlooked or misinterpreted as strictly hydrodynamic. Recognition of VISS in early to middle Palaeozoic strata may provide an important insight into the distribution of early land plants in oxidizing environments where organic material was not preserved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences (CFES) has issued this statement to summarize the science, effects, and implications of climate change. We highlight the role of Earth scientists in documenting and mitigating climate change, and in managing and adapting to its consequences in Canada. CFES is the coordinated voice of Canada's Earth Sciences community with 14 member organizations representing some 15,000 geoscientists. Our members are drawn from academia, industry, education, and government. The mission of CFES is to ensure decision makers and the public understand the contributions of Earth Science to Canadian society and the economy. Climate change has become a national and global priority for all levels of government. The geological record shows us that the global climate has changed throughout Earth's history, but the current rates of change are almost unprecedented. Over the last 70 years, levels of common greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere have steadily increased. Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration is now 418 parts per million -- its highest of the last three million years. The chemical (isotopic) composition of carbon in the atmosphere indicates the increase in GHGs is due to burning fossil fuels. GHGs absorb energy emitted from Earth's surface and re-radiate it back, warming the lower levels of the atmosphere. Climatic adjustments that have recently occurred are, in practical terms, irreversible, but further change can be mitigated by lowering emissions of GHGs. Climate change is amplified by three important Earth system processes and effects. First, as the climate warms evaporation increases, raising atmospheric concentrations of water vapour, itself a GHG -- and adding to warming. Second, loss of ice cover from the polar ice sheets and glaciers exposes larger areas of land and open water -- leading to greater absorption of heat from the sun. Third, thawing of near-surface permafrost releases additional GHGs (primarily CO2 and methane) during decay of organic matter previously preserved frozen in the ground. Some impacts of climate change are incremental and steadily occurring, such as melting of glaciers and ice sheets, with consequent sea level rise. Others are intermittent, such as extreme weather events, like hurricanes -- but are becoming more frequent. Summer water shortages are increasingly common in western Canada as mountain snowpacks melt earlier and summer river flows decline. In northern Canada, warming and thawing of near-surface permafrost has led to deterioration of infrastructure and increased costs for buildings that now require chilled foundations. Other consequences of unchecked climate change include increased coastal erosion, increases in the number and size of wildfires, and reduction in winter road access to isolated northern communities. Reductions in net GHG emissions are urgently required to mitigate the many effects of further climate change. Industrial and public works development projects must now assess the effects of climate change in their planning, design, and management. Cities, municipalities, and rural communities need to plan new residential development carefully to avoid enhanced risk of flooding, coastal erosion, or wildfire. Earth Science knowledge and expertise is integral to exploration and development of new metals and Earth materials required for a carbon-neutral future, and in the capture and storage of CO2 within the Earth. Earth Science is also central to society's adaptation to new climatic regimes and reduction of risks. This includes anticipation, assessment, and management of extreme events, development of new standards and guidelines for geotechnical and engineering practice, and revision to regulations that consider climate change. Geoscientists also have an important role in the education of students and the public on the reasons for necessary action. Canada is uniquely positioned with its strong global geoscientific leadership, its vast landmass, and its northern terrain to effectively leverage research activities around climate change. Geoscience tools and geoscientists' skills will be integral to Canada's preparation for climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Early Mississippian (known as 'Romer's Gap') marks the beginning of a critical point in tetrapod history as they transitioned from dominantly aquatic to more terrestrial ecosystems. This paleoecological expansion set the stage for the radiation of all terrestrial tetrapod crown groups. The exact timing for the transition into freshwater continental environments is poorly understood. However, new discoveries in Scotland, England, and Nova Scotia, represent rare exceptions; offering a glimpse into coastal terrestrial ecologies during 'Romer's Gap'. These sites have evidence for a marine-water connection suggesting a coastal paleogeographic position. In contrast, Early Mississippian sedimentary deposits of the Moncton Subbasin in southern New Brunswick (NB) are interpreted as freshwater intra-continental conditions (lacustrine, wetland, fluvial, alluvial settings). A single stratigraphic horizon in the Albert Formation (Hiram Brook Member), exposed near Norton, NB, has yielded abundant tetrapod footprints. Preliminary assessments suggest at least four trackway ichnogenera: cf. Characichnos, cf.Matthewichnus, cf.Hylopus, and cf.Batrachichnus and a fifth trackway that may represent a new ichnogenus. Footprints range in size from 1 to 3 cm, suggesting that tetrapods were smaller than those documented from near time-equivalent sites in Nova Scotia, but are comparable in size to skeletal fossils described from younger strata in Scotland. These footprints are interpreted to be preserved in interfluvial crevasse splays associated with wetland forests dominated by Lepidodendropsis lycopods and Aneimites ferns preserved in their ecological context. The relatively large sample size of footprints suggests that a community of tetrapods were present and part of a diverse ecosystem, adapted to terrestrial and semi-aquatic continental environments in the earliest Mississippian. Additional trackways from slightly younger redbed playa lake deposits in the Sussex Group suggest tetrapods were also venturing into semi-arid continental environments. The ichnofossil assemblage from NB demonstrates considerable variation in ichnotaxa morphology and paleoenvironmental context from sites of approximately equivalent age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Carboniferous Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in Nova Scotia, has long been known for its extensive paleobiodiversity. The ichnofossil record at Joggins is less known compared to body fossils. The late citizen scientist Donald Reid (known as "The Keeper of the Cliffs") contributed significantly to our understanding of the fossil record at Joggins. In his extensive ichnological collections is a morphologically unique "shrimp shaped" cubichnia (resting trace). The trace fossil is associated with faint invertebrate trackways that lead up to the resting trace and verifies the identification of this specimen as an invertebrate resting trace. The trace fossil was recovered from the upper Joggins Formation (876 m above the base) and was found in fine-grained rippled sandstones that are interpreted to be from an Open-Water to Poorly-Drained Lithofacies Assemblage transition. Horseshoe crab walking traces (Kouphichnium) are well known from this trace fossil horizon. The trace fossil specimen also has examples of invertebrate resting traces Selenichnites and Rusophycus preserved in convex hyporelief, that are commonly ascribed to horseshoe crabs and crustaceans, respectively, when found in freshwater paleoenvironments. This stratigraphic interval has previously yielded body fossils of Pygocephalus shrimp preserved in organic rich limestones and sideritic ironstone nodules. The Joggins Cliffs have yielded an abundance of trace fossils ascribed to horseshoe crabs, yet only two of their body fossils. Pygocephalus shrimp body fossils are common at Joggins, yet no trace fossils have yet been assigned to this invertebrate and perhaps have gone unrecognized. We interpret the trace fossil to have been produced by a Pygocephalus shrimp based on its morphological similarities to known body fossils from the Joggins Formation that are found in proximity to the trace fossil horizon. This new trace fossil morphology likely warrants a new ichnotaxon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Markov Chain analysis was applied to the description of the megascopic lithologic transitions in Pennsylvanian-age eastern Kentucky coals. Coal lithology modeling can be problematic as individual lithotypes can represent near-instantaneous events (vitrain), prolonged degradation (durain), or fire-induced loss of previously deposited lithologies (fusain). Each of the latter lithotypes, potentially representing vastly different amounts of time, could be of the same thickness. Therefore, equal thickness does not necessarily imply equal time. Probability transform matrices that employ uniform lithotype thicknesses were used, allowing transitions between like lithotypes; embedded Markov Chains, thereby only considering transitions between different lithotypes; and continuous-time Markov Chains were employed in the assessment of a section of the No. 5 Block coal (Pennsylvanian Breathitt Group, Martin County, Kentucky). Embedded Markov Chains could successfully simulate the lithologic transitions. A Monte Carlo random process was programmed to simulate thickness variations of lithotypes between the transitions. The proposed hybrid model of Monte Carlo–Markov Chain was able to predict the random pattern that underlies lithotypes transitions and thickness. The hybrid Monte Carlo–Markov Chain technique proved to be effective in the case study in simulating both the lithologic thickness variations and transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1125-m-thick type section of the Pennsylvanian Boss Point Formation is well exposed along the shore of the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia. We provide the first comprehensive account of the entirety of this formation, which comprises nearly one-third of the stratigraphic thickness of the Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site. The basal Chignecto Bay Member (0-91.5 m) is composed of redbeds, single-storey channel bodies with northerly paleoflow, and thin palustrine limestones. The middle Ward Point Member (91.5-951.7 m) contains up to 16 megacycles composed of alternations between thick packages of braided fluvial sandstone and fine-grained deposits. Although regional studies of the Boss Point Formation suggest that the fine-grained deposits are largely composed of lacustrine sediments, these intervals consist largely of poorly drained and well-drained floodplain deposits in the type section. The facies variations and southeast-directed paleoflow in the Ward Point Member record modest uplift associated with the growth of the salt-cored Minudie Anticline. The North Reef Member (951.7-1125 m) is composed of redbeds and two distinctive multistorey channel bodies. This uppermost member records a shift to more arid, oxidizing conditions, was the precursor to a major phase of salt withdrawal, and represents a transition to the overlying Little River Formation. The sedimentological framework, revised stratigraphy, and detailed measured section and map will provide a foundation for future study of this remarkable Pennsylvanian exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first detailed study of the coastal exposure of the Springhill Mines Formation within the Joggins Fossil Cliffs World Heritage Site. A 16.9-m-thick interval of dark laminated mudrocks and sharp-based sandstones at the base of our section is reassigned to the top of the Joggins Formation. This interval records a rapid, presumably widespread flooding event and the temporary establishment of a marginal-marine to brackish bay. The overlying 697 m of strata represent deposition in poorly drained and well-drained environments, and are assigned to the Springhill Mines Formation. Strata reflecting poorly drained environments contain green and grey mudrocks, thin coals, sheet sandstones, and channel bodies interpreted to have been deposited in coastal swamps and low-lying parts of a floodplain. Intervals reflecting well-drained conditions contain reddish brown mudrocks, sheet sandstones, and channel bodies interpreted to have been deposited on a vegetated floodplain that was periodically exposed to oxidizing conditions. Strata reflecting poorly drained conditions are thick and abundant in the lower half of the formation and well-drained intervals become thick and more abundant in the upper half. The shift in facies abundance is accompanied by an interpreted evolution in fluvial style from predominantly anastomosed channels (below 376 m) to sheet-like channel bodies (376– 449 m) and ultimately to predominantly meandering-channel bodies (449–697 m). The formation-scale changes in drainage conditions and fluvial style records decreased halokinetic subsidence and aggradation of the alluvial surface as sediments shed from the Caledonia Highlands prograded into this part of the basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cumberland basin is part of the large and deep Maritimes Basin of Atlantic Canada, interpreted to have developed at tropical latitudes in a tectonic environment of dextral strike slip. The predominantly Mississippian-Pennsylvanian basin fill includes a thick succession of Viséan evaporites of the Windsor Group. An overlying clastic succession includes, in the coal-bearing Cumberland Group, fossil forests with upright trees, preserved at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site. Analysis of two-dimensional seismic profiles demonstrates that accommodation for the successions overlying the evaporites was provided by salt expulsion, which led to the development of broad open synclines separated by narrow isoclinal anticlines cored by salt. In the western part of the basin (Athol syncline), evaporites remained largely undisturbed until the Pennsylvanian, when their rapid expulsion accommodated accumulation of the thick Joggins succession. In the eastern part of the basin (Tatamagouche syncline), evaporite withdrawal began in the Viséan and continued during Serpukhovian time, providing accommodation for symmetric and wedge-shaped minibasins filled by Windsor and overlying Mabou Group strata. Only a small volume of evaporites remained to be expelled during Pennsylvanian thrusting along the southern basin margin; as a result, the Cumberland Group is relatively thin. To the north, the Black River, Wallace, and Pugwash synclines developed as minibasins having a character intermediate between the Athol and Tatamagouche synclines. Many of the halokinetic structures in the Cumberland basin are similar to those on salt-bearing passive continental margins. However, the tectonic environment in narrow fault-bounded basins encouraged vertical, rather than horizontal movement of salt and overlying sediments, and has produced characteristic inequant, oval minibasin geometries. These features may be characteristic of salt tectonics in strike-slip basins. Salt expulsion has strongly influenced the distribution of hydrocarbons and other resources in the basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]