The Johnson Geo Centre and Memorial University’s Faculty of Science is challenging the public to search for evidence of early animal life in an around Quidi Vidi Lake.
Places like Mistaken Point, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the Bonavista Peninsula, which has UNESCO Geo Park status, are famous for their Ediacaran fossils dating back approximately 560 million years ago, but those aren’t the only locations where they’re found.
The Ediacaran period features creatures that were making that first transition from plants to animals. Many were fastened to the ocean floor, and exhibit some of the very first evidence of muscle development.
Like Ediacaran Fossils? Like Prizes? In partnership with @NLGEOCENTRE & @MemorialUSci We have a fun game for you to play during Memorial's Research Week. In the sun, rain or even in the dark with a flashlight shone parallel to rock surfaces. See https://t.co/ULwOoU1Vta pic.twitter.com/kv1tYDDOLx
— @MUNpaleobiology (@munpaleobiology) November 19, 2021
Paleontologist Duncan McIlroy says people might be surprised just how accessible and visible the evidence of those very early life forms might be.
He says “relatively young” fossils can be found in and around St. John’s. He references some discs found in the Duckworth Street area which were known dating back to the 1800s, but says the boulders around Quidi Vidi Lake are considerably older than that – about 20 million years older and dating to the same time as the rocks at Mistaken Point.
People are being encouraged to take selfies with rocks they think contain fossils and post them the Johnson Geo Centre’s Facebook page by Friday, November 26th, which he and his post graduated students will assess whether it’s a fossil or not.
McIlroy says if you do find a fossil, your name will be put in for a prize draw that is donated by the Faculty of Science and the Johnson GEO Centre.
