CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STRATIGRAPHY AND PALAEON- 
TOLOGY OF SKIDEGATE INLET, QUEEN CHARLOTTE 
ISLANDS, B.C. 
By F. H. McLearn, Geological Survey , Canada 
CONTENTS 
Page 
Introduction 1 
Jurassic Ammonoidea 4 
Illustrations 
Plates I to XVI. Illustrations of fossils.. 38-69 
INTRODUCTION 
Skidegate inlet is important in the study of Canadian Mesozoic 
stratigraphy, for it is possible there to establish the order of succession of 
several Jurassic and Cretaceous faunas. At most localities in western 
British Columbia and on the Pacific coast, where Mesozoic rocks are 
exposed, it is not possible to do this satisfactorily, because only one or two 
faunas occur at each place, or the faunas are meagre. 
The Mesozoic strata of Skidegate inlet have for a long time claimed 
the interest of Canadian geologists and the results of their work have been 
summarized by J. D. MacKenzie. 1 In spite of all they had done, however, 
from Richardson to MacKenzie, the stratigraphic relations of the faunas 
were by no means completely solved; e.g. it was not known whether many 
of the species described by Whiteaves came from the Jurassic or Cretaceous 
formations and it did not appear that all the faunas had been recognized 
and their order of succession determined. These problems might have 
been to some extent solved without recourse to further field work had all 
of MacKenzie's collections reached the office; unfortunately most of them 
were lost in a shipwreck. It, therefore, became necessary to make new 
collections and to obtain additional stratigraphic data. This was done in 
the summer of 1921, by the writer, with the able assistance of C. H. Crick- 
may and R. H. B. Jones. Large collections of fossils were made, the strata 
were carefully measured, the stratal position of each fauna was obtained, 
and the structure and areal distribution were worked out in greater detail 
than by previous students. 
Thereafter, in the office, and in time available, progress has been made 
in the study of the fossils and it is now possible to present a first section of 
an account of the Jurassic Ammonoidea. This will be followed by other 
sections on the Jurassic Ammonoidea, on other groups of Jurassic and 
Cretaceous Invertebrata, on the plants, on correlation, stratigraphy, etc. 
They will all appear under the general title, “Contributions to the Strati- 
graphy and Palaeontology of Skidegate Inlet, B.C.” 
Grateful acknowledgment is made to Mr. S. S. Buckman, F.G.S., for 
most helpful advice in the study of the Jurassic Ammonoidea, which has 
saved the writer from many a serious pitfall. Because of his guidance and 
J Geol. Surv., Canada, Mem. 88, pp. 7-13 (1916). 
56349— li 
