About Burgess Shale

Burgess Shale

The Burgess Shale fossils are some of the oldest and most complex in the world! They are so important that they have been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These fossils represent a complete ecosystem that existed for only a very short time after the first explosion of multicellular life on earth. We are still making new discoveries and finding new animals, which are changing our understanding of early life and evolution! The Burgess Shale is now part of the larger Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site.