The south-facing slopes above Tranquille were once submerged under a glacial lake.    Glaciers rolled over the hills and left moraine deposits, but where erosion has exposed shales, we can sometimes find fossils.    there are some small spots in the hills above Tranquille River and there are more extensive deposits in the gullies between Tranquille and Battle Bluff.   On a hot summer morning, we took the grandkids for short  fossil hunt in the hills.   We have been successful in the area before and this time we approached it from a different direction and found some, but not as many as in previous efforts. 

Where shales are exposed on ridges, slopes, or in gullies, we may be able to find a fossil.  

Some video of the area shows “the lay of the land.”

We came out of the hills with a handful of interesting rocks and a small number of fossil imprints.   We were happy to soak our feet in the river on this hot day. 

We will return to a good quarry spot when the weather is cooler, probably in the fall.