Fossils of Presqu'ile

Did you know that you can find creatures that lived 450 million years ago at Presqu'ile?

It was the middle of the Ordovician period and a warm, shallow sea covered this part of North America. This sea was alive with a variety of creatures, some strange looking and others more familiar. Today you can still find evidence of these ancient creatures in the form of fossils.

You can search for fossils along the rocky shoreline on the south shore of the park. We ask that you do not take the fossils home with you but instead leave them here for future visitors to enjoy. You can also bring your fossils to the Nature Centre (open July and August) and add them to our collection.

Click Here for a Guide to 'The Fossils of Presqu'ile.'

Click Here to read more about the Geology of Presqu'ile

Gastropod, Cephalopod and Crinoid Fossils

Formation of Presqu'ile

It is only in the last 10,000 years that the Presqu'ile we know today was formed. Presqu'ile is a landform known as a tombolo. A tombolo is formed when an island is connected to the mainland by a sandbar. The Presqu'ile tombolo is a fascinating formation, unequaled in size, complexity, and degree of development on the Great Lakes.

Click Here to read more about the Formation of the Presqu'ile Tombolo.