The Burgess Shale Geoscience Foundation

Ancient Squatters: Hermit Behavior in Cambrian “Penis worms” (Priapulids)

Antoine Archambault — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 17:51:30 +0000

Move over, hermit crabs! A 2021 paper published in the journal Current Biology suggests similar shell-occupying behavior in an unexpected source: Cambrian priapulid (priapulan) worms, also known as “penis worms” due to their gross morphology (overall shape of the organism) bearing a remarkable similarity to the human penis. World class quality “penis worm” fossils can be found at the Walcott […]

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Trilobite sex

Antoine Archambault — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 18:07:10 +0000

Trilobite species Olenoides serratus, has been well studied since 1909 and is one of the most fully understood trilobites in the fossil record, due to the exceptional preservation of soft tissues (labile tissue) at the Burgess Shale. Now after over 100 years of studying the species, and half a billion years since its extinction, scientists […]

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A 506 million year old hemichordate worm with tentacles

Antoine Archambault — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 22:48:02 +0000

Gyaltsenglossus senis, is a newly described hemichordate from the Burgess Shale. It provides evidence on how the anatomies of the two main groups of hemichordates – enteropneusta and pterobranchia – are related. The enteropneusta and pterobranchia differ in body shape and in ecological function. However, DNA analysis of present day organisms suggests that they are […]

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Five-eyes!? Kylinxia zhangi, a new Opabinia-like fossil

Antoine Archambault — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 17:14:49 +0000

Kylinxia zhangi is a newly described euarthropod with five-eyes. It is was discovered in a Cambrian aged deposit in Chengjiang, China, and was recently described in the journal Nature. Kylinxia looks remarkably like a cross between two Burgess Shale animals, Opabinia regalis and Anomalocaris canadensis. The Burgess Shale is currently dated to 506 million years […]

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Tropical Fossils: The Burgess Shale Is Not Alone!

Antoine Archambault — Sun, 15 Nov 2020 18:26:00 +0000

Tropical Fossils? The Burgess Shale fossils are found in the Canadian Rockies at a latitude of 51 North. However, the fossilized animals lived and died in the tropics. This change in latitude over time is the result of the slow action of Plate Tectonics. For the last 508 Million years the North America plate has […]

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A Mine in Yoho National Park?

Antoine Archambault — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 17:13:19 +0000

A mine. In a National Park. Inside a mountain. Not what you would expect but for over sixty years, zinc and lead where mined from within Mount Stephen and Mount Field in Yoho National Park. These mines were the only successful metal mines in the Canadian Rockies. Railway construction workers chanced upon lead-zinc ore in the […]

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The Cambrian Explosion and the Burgess Shale

Antoine Archambault — Thu, 30 May 2019 16:12:56 +0000

Cambrian Explosion The early Cambrian period marks one of the most spectacular evolutionary events in the history of life – The Cambrian Explosion. This was an explosion of life. Within ten million years, a very short period geologically, a host of hard-body and soft-body animals appeared in the fossil record. Trilobites, molluscs, chordates, cnidarians, brachiopods and […]

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The Geology of the Burgess Shale (Part 3): The Cathedral Escarpment

Antoine Archambault — Thu, 09 May 2019 21:28:03 +0000

A spectacular submarine cliff over 100 metres high – the Cathedral Escarpment- marked the front of the algal limestones of the Cathedral Formation. The Cathedral Escarpment was initially thought to be a product of prolific algal growth and sediment accumulation during a period of sea level rise. A re-interpretation suggested that the escarpment is the […]

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Burgess Shale Books: Where can I find more information on the Burgess Shale?

Antoine Archambault — Thu, 02 May 2019 16:35:10 +0000

If you are booked to come on one of our hikes or are just interested in the Burgess Shale, here are some great Burgess Shale books to help you learn more. A Geoscience Guide to the Burgess Shale – This easy-to-read illustrated guide immerses the reader in the history, geology, environment and, most importantly, the […]

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The Geology of the Burgess Shale (Part 2): What Rocks Tell Us About Life

Antoine Archambault — Thu, 18 Apr 2019 22:42:08 +0000

The picture above features fossil ridge, situated behind and to the right of the hikers; as well as, Mt Wapta, situated behind and slightly to the left of the hikers. The former is where the Walcott Quarry is located. Below we describe why fossil ridge and Mount Wapta have mudstone (shale) rocks lower down on the […]

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