Mount Stephen trilobite beds
Encyclopedia
The Mount Stephen trilobite beds (UNSM locality 14s) are a series of fossil strata on Mount Stephen
, British Columbia
that contain exceptionally preserved fossil material. Part of the same stratigraphic unit as the Burgess Shale
, many non-mineralized parts (such as anomalocaridid claws, sponges, and trilobite
legs) are preserved; in addition, a high density of trilobite fossils is present.
locality to be discovered.
The richness of fossils in the Field area was first identified by workers associated with the construction of the Trans-Canada railway, which had (somewhat controversially) been routed through the Kicking Horse valley. Richard McConnell, of the Geological Survey of Canada, was pointed to the beds by a railway worker whilst mapping the geology around the railway line in September 1886. Several unusual fossils were subsequently described from this site, including sponges, worms, and the appendages of the unusual Anomalocaris, identified at that time as the bodies of crabs. These fossils prompted Charles Doolittle Walcott to make forays into the area, and led to his discovery of the Walcott Quarry
on Fossil Ridge.
.
Mount Stephen
Mount Stephen is a mountain located in the Kicking Horse River Valley of Yoho National Park, ½ km east of Field. The mountain was named in 1886 for George Stephen, the first president of the Canadian Pacific Railway....
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
that contain exceptionally preserved fossil material. Part of the same stratigraphic unit as the Burgess Shale
Burgess Shale
The Burgess Shale Formation, located in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, is one of the world's most celebrated fossil fields, and the best of its kind. It is famous for the exceptional preservation of the soft parts of its fossils...
, many non-mineralized parts (such as anomalocaridid claws, sponges, and trilobite
Trilobite
Trilobites are a well-known fossil group of extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the Atdabanian stage of the Early Cambrian period , and they flourished throughout the lower Paleozoic era before...
legs) are preserved; in addition, a high density of trilobite fossils is present.
History
The trilobite beds were the first Burgess shaleBurgess Shale
The Burgess Shale Formation, located in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, is one of the world's most celebrated fossil fields, and the best of its kind. It is famous for the exceptional preservation of the soft parts of its fossils...
locality to be discovered.
The richness of fossils in the Field area was first identified by workers associated with the construction of the Trans-Canada railway, which had (somewhat controversially) been routed through the Kicking Horse valley. Richard McConnell, of the Geological Survey of Canada, was pointed to the beds by a railway worker whilst mapping the geology around the railway line in September 1886. Several unusual fossils were subsequently described from this site, including sponges, worms, and the appendages of the unusual Anomalocaris, identified at that time as the bodies of crabs. These fossils prompted Charles Doolittle Walcott to make forays into the area, and led to his discovery of the Walcott Quarry
Walcott Quarry
The Walcott Quarry is the most famous quarry of the Burgess Shale, bearing the Phyllopod beds. This lies at the base of the Walcott Quarry member, and three other quarries – the Raymond, UE and EZ – lie above it...
on Fossil Ridge.
Stratigraphy
The trilobite beds are in the Campsite Cliff member, and contain the marker trilobite OgygopsisOgygopsis
Ogygopsis is a genus of trilobite from the Cambrian of Antarctica and North America, specifically the Burgess Shale. It is the most common fossil in the Mt. Stephen fossil beds there, but rare in other Cambrian faunas...
.