Burgess Shale Fossils Discovered by Walcott
August 30, 1909 · 20th Century
On August 30, 1909, paleontologist Charles Doolittle Walcott discovered exceptionally preserved Cambrian fossils on Fossil Ridge in British Columbia's Yoho National Park. The Burgess Shale, dating to 508 million years ago, contained soft-bodied organisms rarely preserved in the fossil record, including arthropods, worms, and creatures defying modern classification. Walcott returned annually until 1924, collecting over 65,000 specimens for the Smithsonian Institution. The site revealed the diversity of the Cambrian explosion and challenged assumptions about early animal evolution.
Key Figures
Charles Doolittle Walcott
Locations
Burgess Shale, Yoho National Park
Topics
paleontologyCambrian explosionsoft-bodied fossilsanimal evolutionfossil preservationCambrian period
Connected Events — 3 Connections
DNA analysis later enabled molecular classification of Burgess Shale organisms that defied morphological taxonomy Discovery of DNA Double Helix Structure
Burgess Shale fossils document the extraordinary diversity of the Cambrian radiation in unprecedented detail Cambrian Explosion
Burgess Shale provided physical evidence of the explosive diversification Darwin's theory predicted Darwin Reads Malthus's Essay on Population
The Time Detectives® · Cadet Mission
Investigate This Event
Place it on the timeline. Earn points. Master the connections.
New to The Time Detectives?
Learn what it is →