Alberta Palaeontological Society

The Meeting Place for Amateur and Professional Palaeontologists

Calendar

This calendar brings together palaeontological events from around the region and beyond, including public lectures, field trips, conferences, and museum exhibitions. It’s a helpful resource for anyone interested in palaeontology, from amateur enthusiasts to professional researchers.

Events are listed to the best of our knowledge and are updated regularly. Whether you're looking to attend a fossil talk, join a dig, or simply stay informed about what's going on in the palaeo world, we hope you'll find something of interest.

If you know of an upcoming event that you think should be included, please feel free to contact us at eric.campbell@albertapaleo.org with the details. I'd be happy to add it to the calendar!

October 2025

Legend

External
Monthly Meeting
Fossil Sorting

External - hosted by Royal Alberta Museum

Presentation: Ice Age Horses

Saturday, October 4, 2025, 2:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

A view from a theatre seat. You are looking over the heads of other people in the theatre. A female presenter stands by a skeleton of a horse. There is a table beside her with other bones on it.

Imagine this place we call Alberta over 10,000 years ago, when Ice Age horses roamed the land! Come and learn about the stories that their bones tell and how scientists at the museum piece together the past.

Date: Saturday, October 4, 2025
Time: 2:30 PM – 2:45 PM
Location: Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton, at the Roundhouse
Age Group: 6 and up
Cost: Free with admission

For more details, see https://royalalbertamuseum.ca/whats-on .

External - hosted by Royal Alberta Museum

Presentation: Dino Dentist

Sunday, October 5, 2025, 2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

A huge model of a dino skull. A giant red fake toothbrush can be seen behind the dino's open mouth.

Oh my! What big teeth you have! Feast your eyes on some dino skulls and learn about the science of chewing.

Date: Saturday, October 5, 2025
Time: 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Duration: 30 minutes
Location: Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton, various locations
Age Group: 3 and up
Cost: Free with admission

For more details, see https://royalalbertamuseum.ca/whats-on .

External - hosted by Royal Alberta Museum

Presentation: Ice Age Horses

Saturday, October 11, 2025, 2:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

A view from a theatre seat. You are looking over the heads of other people in the theatre. A female presenter stands by a skeleton of a horse. There is a table beside her with other bones on it.

Imagine this place we call Alberta over 10,000 years ago, when Ice Age horses roamed the land! Come and learn about the stories that their bones tell and how scientists at the museum piece together the past.

Date: Saturday, October 11, 2025
Time: 2:30 PM – 2:45 PM
Location: Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton, at the Roundhouse
Age Group: 6 and up
Cost: Free with admission

For more details, see https://royalalbertamuseum.ca/whats-on .

External - hosted by Royal Alberta Museum

Presentation: Dino Dentist

Sunday, October 12, 2025, 2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

A huge model of a dino skull. A giant red fake toothbrush can be seen behind the dino's open mouth.

Oh my! What big teeth you have! Feast your eyes on some dino skulls and learn about the science of chewing.

Date: Saturday, October 12, 2025
Time: 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Duration: 30 minutes
Location: Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton, various locations
Age Group: 3 and up
Cost: Free with admission

For more details, see https://royalalbertamuseum.ca/whats-on .

Monthly Meeting

Monthly Meeting: October 2025

Friday, October 17, 2025, 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Tako Koning, Consulting Geologist - “Joggins, Nova Scotia” Abstract & Bio

Abstract

The Joggins Fossils Cliffs has been described in the literature as a “Coal Age Galapogos” (Calder, 2017). The world-famous fossils-rich cliffs at Joggins have been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for their outstanding geological story of the “Coal Age”. Approximately 320 million years ago, the continents were assembled into one huge land mass, the supercontinent Pangea and tropic rainforests covered the region. From fossilized trees that stood 30 meters high to the remains of the earliest known reptile, Hylonomus lyelli, Joggins Fossil Cliffs hold essential information about the development of life on earth during the Carboniferous. The fossil cliffs reveal the world’s most complete record of terrestrial life during the Carboniferous. The cliffs are still actively evolving – the powerful tides from the Bay of Fundy continue to erode the rock face so that new fossils come to light every year (Calder, 2017, Joggins Fossils Cliffs Field Guide, 2024).

Bio

Tako Koning is Holland-born and Alberta-raised. He graduated from the University of Alberta in 1971 with a B.Sc. in Geology and with a B.A. in Economics in 1981 from the University of Calgary. He has worked as a petroleum geologist, exploration manager, vice president exploration for approximately fifty years including thirty years living and working in Indonesia, Nigeria and Angola. From age ten, he was already fascinated with paleontology and that fascination has continued to the present day. This presentation is based on a one-day visit in 2024 made by Tako to Joggins Fossils Cliffs and includes an extensive review of all available relevant literature.

External - hosted by Royal Alberta Museum

Presentation: Ice Age Horses

Saturday, October 18, 2025, 2:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

A view from a theatre seat. You are looking over the heads of other people in the theatre. A female presenter stands by a skeleton of a horse. There is a table beside her with other bones on it.

Imagine this place we call Alberta over 10,000 years ago, when Ice Age horses roamed the land! Come and learn about the stories that their bones tell and how scientists at the museum piece together the past.

Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025
Time: 2:30 PM – 2:45 PM
Location: Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton, at the Roundhouse
Age Group: 6 and up
Cost: Free with admission

For more details, see https://royalalbertamuseum.ca/whats-on .

External - hosted by Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology

RTMP's Silent Disco

Saturday, October 18, 2025, 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

A stylized image of a triceratops skeleton wearing s scarf and listening to a tape player

Dance among the dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum’s 18+ Silent Disco.

Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025 Time: 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM Location: Royal Tyrrell Museum

More information & tickets

External - hosted by Royal Alberta Museum

Presentation: Dino Dentist

Sunday, October 19, 2025, 2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

A huge model of a dino skull. A giant red fake toothbrush can be seen behind the dino's open mouth.

Oh my! What big teeth you have! Feast your eyes on some dino skulls and learn about the science of chewing.

Date: Saturday, October 19, 2025
Time: 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Duration: 30 minutes
Location: Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton, various locations
Age Group: 3 and up
Cost: Free with admission

For more details, see https://royalalbertamuseum.ca/whats-on .

Fossil Sorting

Search for Microfossils!

Sunday, October 26, 2025, 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

A fragment of fish skull. It is brown, oblong, and has small bumps on it.
A fragment of a fossil fish skull found during last year's session. Photo by Eric Campbell.

Use microscopes to search for tiny fossils to aid the research of Dr. Jessica Theodor and Dr. Alex Dutchak of the University of Calgary. We will be examining the matrix (soil) from the Saskatchewan Cypress Hills Formation (Middle Eocene about 50 million years old). We will be using microscopes in room B140 at Mount Royal University.

Registration is not required, but if you let Mona Trick (cell: (587) 578-4579 or giftshop@albertapaleo.org) know that you are planning to attend, then she can inform you if we need to cancel this session. No experience is required. Due to the delicate nature of this work, only those 12 years and older are allowed to search for the microfossils. Bring tweezers or a small paint brush to pick the tiny fossils from the soil and a pen to label your finds. All of the fossils found will be kept by the University of Calgary for their research.

We are very grateful to Mount Royal University for allowing us to use their microscopes and lab.