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Would You Rather Live in the Cambrian Than Present-Day?
The above Cambrian map is from Dr. C. Scotese’s Paleomap project. Note that Laurentia is the Paleo-Continent of North America. In other words, Laurentia is an early version of North America. The outline of present day North America is in white. It may be a little bit hard to recognize
The Burgess Shale and its Place in Geological Time
Geological time is exceptionally hard to fathom. If you are like me, you probably have difficulty conceiving of a million years. The Earth is currently 4.543 billion years old. While this number is much smaller than the federal debt of most developed nations, it is still enormous. To help comprehend
Some of Earth’s first animals—including a mysterious, alien-looking spaceship—are spilling out of Canadian rocks
Science magazine just published a great article about some of the newest Burgess Shale fossil finds in Kootenay National Park. In the above photo Jean-Bernard Caron shows off the “mothership,” an enigmatic Cambrian life form his team found this past summer. Click this link to go to the original article.
World Heritage Status and the Protection of Burgess Shale Fossils
In 1984, UNESCO included the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks (CRMPs) on its World Heritage List. This property consists of the following national parks: Yoho, Banff, Kootenay, and Jasper. As well as, the following provincial parks Mt. Robson, Hamber, and Mt. Assiniboine. The site encompasses a contiguous area that is 2,299,104
The History of Yoho National Park and the Discovery of the Burgess Shale
Yoho National Park was established In 1886, as Canada’s second national park. This occurred only twenty eight years after the first European, James Hector, laid eyes on the area. The tiny Yoho National Park encompassed only 26 square kilometres at the base of Mount Stephen. The park was subsequently expanded
Very rare fossil found by hiker – Ovatiovermis
In 2011, Emily Taylor, a hiker on one of our tours discovered a rare fossil of an organism now described as Ovatiovermis cribratus. There are only two known specimens of Oviatiovermis making it one of the rarest of the Burgess Shale species. Every year our clients find fossil at the Walcott