Fossils Found in Canadian Rock Formation Reveal Earth's Record of Early Life

A new site found in Canada's Kootenay National Park in British Columbia has revealed that it contains one of the most complete and oldest fossil collections in the world, rivaling the nearby Burgess Shale. Researchers have discovered 15 new species in just two weeks of collecting fossils.

The fossils at the original Burgess Shale site were discovered in 1909. The 505-million-year-old rock formation has provided scientists with more than 200 new animals species since then; specifically, shown species that appeared during the Cambrian Explosion that occurred 542 million years ago. The fossils at this site are such coveted scientific evidence because they formed in mud and clay and provide extraordinary detail.

The newer site is located in a mountain cliff in Marble Canyon, which is 26 miles southeast of the original Burgess site. Researchers have already collected over 3,000 fossils and hope to protect the location for further studies. Most importantly, Marble Canyon is believed to rival the extravagance of the original Burgess site. Evidence shows that the fossils at the Marble Canyon site are better preserved, contain some newer species and reveal details that have never been seen before, such as retinas, corneas, neural tissue and guts.

The Burgess Shale Geoscience Foundation has dedicated a website to the importance and significance of the original Burgess site. They enumerated three reasons why the preservation of its fossils is paramount:

• "Their age - from the Cambrian period, 505 million years ago, shortly after an astonishing burst of biodiversity occurred in the ancient oceans."
• "Their exquisite preservation - amazingly fine details of the structure of the animals are seen in the fossils, which tell paleontologists much more about what the ancient animals looked like, and how they lived."
• "The fossils reveal important clues to the nature of evolution - all of the major types of animals (phyla) known today are represented in the Burgess Shale, plus others that cannot be placed in our modern classification system." More information can be found here.

Researchers reported that the variety of the fossils is comparable to the original Burgess Shale site in today's publication of Nature Communications. As the site receives greater traffic from scientists and geologists, many more discoveries could be reported. For now, Marble Canyon seems to be providing great information.