Cambrian Explosion Fossils (Burgess Shale)

Paleontology & Fossils 1909

Discoverers: Charles Doolittle Walcott

Overview

Discovery of exceptionally preserved soft-bodied fossils in the Burgess Shale, revealing the rapid diversification of animal body plans during the Cambrian period.

Significance

Showed that the major animal phyla appeared in a geological 'instant' around 540 million years ago, raising fundamental questions about the pace of evolution.

Methodology

Systematic quarrying and cataloguing of over 65,000 specimens from the Burgess Shale outcrop in the Canadian Rockies.

Impact