(By the Broadcast Center News Team)
Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Teck Coal unearthed a fossil that shows the Elk Valley was once underwater.

The discovery was made in 2004, but it's only recently that an Alberta company has been asked to make a replica of it.

Frank Hadfield, president of Palcoprep, says the specimen in the fossil is likely an ammonite.

"An ammonite is closely related to modern-day squid or octopus," Hadfield says. "The curious thing about them is the specimen that we worked on is 152 million years old, but all of the ammonite went extinct at the same time as the dinosuars. So whatever took out the dinosaurs, took out the ammonite as well."

Hadfield says once a cast was made of the fossil, new characteristics were discovered that hadn't been noticed in the original.

The fossil discovery was made by an employee of Teck Coal, who was working near Sparwood. Hadfield says discussions are currently underway over whether or not a third replica should be made for Teck's office in Sparwood.