Research Catalog

Title

The fossils of the Burgess Shale / Derek E.G. Briggs, Douglas H. Erwin, and Frederick J. Collier ; with photographs by Chip Clark.

Author

Briggs, D. E. G.

Publication

Washington : Smithsonian Institution Press, c1994.

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Holdings

Details

Additional Authors

• Collier, Frederick J. (Frederick Joseph), 1932-
• Erwin, Douglas H., 1958-

Description

xvii, 238 p. : ill.; 26 cm.

Summary

• Since its discovery in 1909 by Charles Doolittle Walcott, then Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the Burgess Shale in the Canadian Rocky Mountains has fascinated both scientists and the public with its plethora of weird wonders - life forms of the past so unfamiliar they cannot easily be assigned to known taxonomic groups. This century's most significant invertebrate fossil discovery, the Burgess Shale provides an unprecedented window into the explosive evolution during the Cambrian period that began about 540 million years ago, one of the most enigmatic episodes in the history of life. This book provides the first comprehensive set of illustrations of the extraordinary life forms revealed in the Burgess Shale. In addition to the more common fossilized hard skeletons, the Burgess Shale preserved the soft parts of these organisms, which provide a key to understanding the early evolution of the major groups of animals that inhabit the earth today.^
• The Fossils of the Burgess Shale shows much remarkable detail - including digestive tracts and other internal organs - of creatures preserved in particles of mud fine enough to penetrate every crack and unevenness. The book begins with the history of exploration and research in the Burgess Shale, the geologic setting and preservation of the fossils, and a discussion of the Cambrian radiation, the period when almost all the major phyla of animals evolved. These introductory chapters are followed by 199 high-quality photographs and line drawings with detailed species accounts that describe important features of each specimen, as well as the ecology and taxonomy of each group. A complete list of all currently accepted species described from the Burgess Shale and a comprehensive bibliography follow the illustrations. The Fossil of the Burgess Shale is a compendium of fascinating Cambrian treasures that offer a rare glimpse into the nature of early life on our planet.^
• They have figured prominently in recent evolutionary debates. The National Museum of Natural History, which houses more than 65,000 fossils collected by Walcott from the Burgess Shale, will open a new exhibition of the specimens in 1995.

Subject

• Burgess Shale (B.C.) > Catalogs
• Fossils > Washington (D.C.) > Catalogs
• Invertebrates, Fossil > Yoho National Park > Catalogs
• National Museum of Natural History (U.S.) > Catalogs
• Paleontology > Cambrian > Catalogs
• Paleontology > Yoho National Park > Catalogs

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. 223-236) and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

The fossils of the Burgess Shale -- Cyanobacteria-hormogonales (Filamentous cyanobacteria) -- Algae -- Possible algae -- Phylum porifera -- Phylum cnidaria -- Phylum ctenophora (comb jellies) -- ?Superphylum lophophorata -- Superphylum lophophorata -- ?Phylum mollusca (Molluscs) -- Phylum hyolitha (Hyoliths) -- Phylum priapulida (Priapulids) -- Phylum annelida -- Phylumonychophora (Velvet worms) -- Phylum arthropoda -- Phylum echinodermata -- Phylum chordata (Chordates) -- Animals not assigned to major groups.

ISBN

1560983647

LCCN

^^^93044198^

OCLC

29467737

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library