Buried deep within the bearpaw shale formation of an ancient seabed in southern Alberta, ammolite is extracted by surface collection and open pit mining. Although many ammolite mines have been attempted, few have been successful. Now, Aurora Ammolite Mine is proud to present some of the finest ammolite the world has ever seen, from the heart of this ancient seabed.

First the glacial overburden is removed, exposing the iron rich bearpaw formation. Then another twenty feet of shale is excavated to get through the oxidized ground and into the ammonite bearing layers. It is only at this depth that the ammolite can be extracted in pristine condition.

The Aurora Ammolite Mine is privately owned and holds the rights to several ammonite claims. The claim we are currently mining is about 200 acres in size, and lies adjacent to the St. Mary's River. Test digging began in 2002, when we moved 15,000 cubic meters of earth and rock, and dug to a depth of 40 feet. A larger, deeper pit was opened in the summer of 2003, with excellent results. The mine is now fully operational and producing ammolite which is among the best in the world. We are proud to be one of only two ammolite mines in existence.