Burgess Shale celebrated
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Updated: October 29, 2009 2:59 PM
White Rock & Surrey Naturalists will host Perry Poon of the Vancouver Paleontological Society on Nov. 12, to mark the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Burgess Shale fossils.
Burgess Shale is considered the most significant fossil find. Discovered in Yoho National Park in 1909, it provides a glimpse of what life was like in eastern B.C. about 515 million years ago.
The fossils – more than 65,000 specimens were collected between 1910 and 1924 – were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981 and are now a protected site within the Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site.
Some of the animals discovered are ancestors of present-day creatures; others are unlike anything seen today.
Poon will share "a fascinating story of the Burgess Shale area in B.C.," complete with slides and fossils.
The talk is set for 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at Sunnyside Community Hall, 1845 154 St.
