Burgess Shale Diorama
British Columbia, Canada
515 million years ago
Soft-bodied and hard-shelled animals, tall sponges and algae offer a rare glimpse
into the earliest explosion of animal life about 515 million years ago. This
plethora of weird wonders was reconstructed based on fossils preserved in the
rocks of the Burgess Shale. In 1909, Charles Wolcott, then Secretary of the
Smithsonian Institution, discovered the Burgess Shale fossil deposit. Our Museum
houses more than 65,000 Burgess Shale fossils, many of which are still intensively
studied by scientists around the world. Dozens are on display.
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Earth 3.5 Billion Years Ago | Stromatolite | Ediacaran Diorama | Dickensonia |
