The fossil cliffs of Joggins are a world-class palaeontological site located near the head of the Bay of Fundy. This area is subjected to some of the world's highest tides, over 15 metres (49 ft). The tidal action causes steady erosion of the 23 metre (75 ft) high cliffs, constantly revealing new fossils.

The cliffs have yielded fossils which give an unprecedented glimpse into life during the Carboniferous Period including a rich variety of flora, a diverse amphibian fauna, exciting Arthropleura trackways and some of the world's first reptiles.

The Discovery

The Joggins fossil cliffs became famous in 1851, when Charles Lyell, author of "The Principles of Geology", and Sir William Dawson, author of "Acadian Geology" and "Air Breathers of the Coal Period", visited the site. Joggins was already known for its abundance of fossilized tree trunks found in their original positions. When Dawson and Lyell examined one of these stumps, they noticed tiny bones. These apparently insignificant bones turned out to be one of the most important fossil finds in Nova Scotia. They were, in fact, the remains of one of the world's first reptiles, and the first evidence that land animals had lived during the "Coal Age".