A recent edition of the Ottawa Citizen (August 23rd, 1992) contained an article, entitled "Sharks' teeth in Saskatchewan?", that featured a photograph of a palynologist familiar to CAP Newsletter readers. David Jarzen was pictured standing with one of his colleagues from the Canadian Museum of Nature, Steve Cumbaa, next to a remarkably well-preserved fossil fish.

The article explained that the fossil had been recovered from an extensive palaeontological deposit, hitherto unresearched, along the Carrot River, about 300 km northeast of Saskatoon. Among the finds are an 8 m long marine crocodile, estimated to be 92 million years old, and bird and fish fossils, including three new species, that are thought to be the oldest in North America. David will be using palynostratigraphy to try to pinpoint the age of the deposit. The fossils represent an assemblage from a near-shore marine environment, roughly contemporaneous with the terrestrial environment that has yielded the well-known dinosaur finds in Alberta. Analysis of these fossils and reconstruction of their environment will create a more complete picture of the Late Cretaceous world.

It is good to see palynology getting some positive media attention. Way to go, David!

Alwynne B. Beaudoin
Edmonton, Alberta

---

Note: This article appeared in CAP Newsletter 15(2):10, 1992.