Geology 790.3

geology and fossils of the burgess shale

General Information

Class Time:

Thursday 6:30 - 9:00

Classroom:

3108 Ingersoll Hall
Prerequisites: None

Textbooks:

(Optional)

Wonderful Life. The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History, Stephen J. Gould, 1989, Norton.

Fossils of the Burgess Shale, Briggs, Irwin and Collier, 1994, Smithsonian Institution Press

Assessment:

Seminar 1

35%

Seminar 2

35%

Readings

30%

Summary of Topics To Be Covered
1.

Neoproterozoic to Cambrian Environment and Setting
2.

Stratigraphy and Sedimentology of the Kicking Horse Rim

Readings:

 Aitken (1971), Piper (1972), Fletcher and Collins (1998)
3.

The Cathedral Escarpment

Readings:

 McIlreath and Aitken (1977), Stewart et al. (1993)
4.

Metamorpho-tectonic History of the Burgess Area

Readings:
5.

Dolomitization, Mineralization, Hydrothermal Activity

Readings:

 Ney (1957), Nesbitt and Prochaska (1998), Symons et al. (1998)
6.

Burgess-Shale-Type Fossil Preservation

Readings:

 Butterfield (1990, 1995), Orr et al. (1998), Towe (1996)
7.

The Ediacaran Fauna
8.

The Cambrian Explosion
9.

Burgess Shale Fauna (Classifiable Organisms)
10.

Burgess Shale Fauna (Unclassifiable Organisms)
11.

Seafloor Vents and Seeps and Their Associated Fauna
12.

Paleoenvironmental Interpretations

Readings:

 Conway Morris (1986)
13.

Other Burgess-Shale-Type Localities