McAbee Fossil Beds

[1][2] The site is part of an old lake bed which was deposited about 52 million years ago and is internationally recognised for the diversity of plant, insect, and fish fossils found there.

Similar fossil beds in Eocene lake sediments, also known for their well preserved plant, insect and fish fossils, are found at Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park near Smithers in northern British Columbia, on the Horsefly River near Quesnel in central British Columbia, and at Republic in Washington, United States.

[3] The Princeton Chert fossil beds in southern British Columbia are also Eocene, but primarily preserve an aquatic plant community.

[3] Thomas Ewing provided a detailed analysis of the geology of the Kamloops Group, including the McAbee beds.

Eohiodon rosei from the McAbee Fossil Beds and other Eocene sites in British Columbia is now considered to belong to the present-day mooneye genus Hiodon.

[24] Fossil plants described from the fossil beds include rare fruits such as Dipteronia brownii, a genus of trees now endemic to China,[25] extinct members of the birch family (Betulaceae) such as Palaeocarpinus,[26] maples (Acer rousei),[14] fruits and leaves of the beech Fagus langevinii[27] and the elm Ulmus okanaganensis.

[29] Equisetaceae Equisetum Scouring rushes Cupressaceae Chamaecyparis, Cunninghamia, Metasequoia, Sequoia, Thuja cypress, Chinese fir, dawn redwood, California redwood, red or white cedar Ginkgoaceae Ginkgo biloba ginkgo, maidenhair tree Pinaceae Abies,[30] Picea, Pinus, Pseudolarix,[31] Tsuga fir, spruce, pine, golden larch, hemlock Taxaceae cf.