Thousands of Fossils Found in New Field in Canada's Burgess Shale Formation

A shale deposit in western Canada's Kootenay National Park holds a newfound wealth of fossils that may contain more species than any fossil site in in the world.

Researchers have described the new "Marble Canyon" fossil bed in the journal Nature Communications, reporting that the prehistoric data found within will significantly enhance the understanding of the Cambrian Period and the sudden explosion in animal life that came with it.

The researchers report that fossils entombed in Kootenay National Park rival a similar and more well-known deposit in Yoho National Park, just 42 kilometers away. Both the Kootenay and Yoho fossil sites are part of the Burgess Shale Formation. Found in 1909, the Burgess Shale is celebrated for its remarkable preservation of fossils, many of which contain rare soft imprints.

"We were already aware of the presence of some Burgess Shale fossils in Kootenay National Park," said Robert Gaines, a geologist from Pomona College. "We had a hunch that if we followed the formation along the mountain topography into new areas with the right rock types, maybe, just maybe, we would get lucky -- though we never in our wildest dreams thought we'd track down a mother lode like this."

In just 15 days of excavation, researchers found thousands of specimens representing more than 50 species, including some new to science. Many of the specimens are arthropods, the animal group that includes spiders and lobsters. Arthropods represent about 80 percent of all living animals, the researchers said.

For comparison, the Burgess Shale in Yoho National Park has been excavated for more than 100 years and approximately 200 species have been identified in that time.

"This new discovery is an epic sequel to a research story that began at the turn of the previous century. There is no doubt in my mind that this new material will significantly increase our understanding of early animal evolution," said lead study author Jean-Bernard Caron, Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology at the Royal Ontario Museum. "The rate at which we are finding animals -- many of which are new -- is astonishing, and there is a high possibility that we'll eventually find more species here than at the original Yoho National Park site, and potentially more than from anywhere else in the world."

Gaines added that it didn't take the team long to realize that they had found something significant. "To me, the Burgess Shale is a grand tale in every way imaginable, and we are incredibly proud to be part of this new chapter and to keep the story alive and thriving in everyone's imagination."