Cathedral escarpment

The Burgess Shale
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Preservation Biota History
Geology and localities Stephen Formation Cathedral escarpment Walcott Quarry (containing the Phyllopod bed) Raymond Quarry Mount Stephen trilobite beds Mount Stephen localities Odaray Mountain Stanley Glacier
Fossils Marrella Anomalocaridids Halwaxiids Opabinia Odontogriphus
Key organisms Ediacara biota Kimberella Vernanimalcula Burgess-type Marrella Anomalocaridids Halwaxiids Opabinia Odontogriphus Small shelly fauna Helcionellids
Evolutionary concepts Cambrian explosion Trends Cambrian substrate revolution Themes Cladistics Convergent evolution Stem and crown groups

The Cathedral escarpment was a limestone submarine cliff, the wall of an algal reef, which formed part of the Laurentian continental shelf during the Cambrian period. It is associated with the exquisite preservation of the Burgess Shale. Approximately 100 to 300 m high, it runs for around 100 km through and around Yoho national park, British Columbia.^[1] Only small portions of it are exposed. During the Cambrian period mudflows ran down and along the escarpment, trapping and quickly burying organisms at the base of the cliff, and preventing their decay, permitting the preservation of soft tissue in the rocks that now comprise the Stephen formation.^[1]

References

1 2 Caron, J. -B.; Gaines, R. R.; Mangano, M. G.; Streng, M.; Daley, A. C. (2010). "A new Burgess Shale-type assemblage from the "thin" Stephen Formation of the southern Canadian Rockies". Geology 38 (9): 811. doi:10.1130/G31080.1.

Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin

Hydrocarbon history	Oil sands and heavy oil Frontier exploration and development Natural gas liquids Natural gas

Depositional Regions	Southern Alberta Central Alberta Northwestern Alberta Plains South-central Canadian Rockies foothills North-east Plains North-central foothills Liard River Fort Nelson Northern Rocky Mountains Fort St. John Saskatchewan Western Manitoba

Canadian Rockies	Paskapoo FM Brazeau GRP St Mary FM Belly River FM Alberta GRP Wapiabi FM Cardium FM Blackstone FM Blairmore GRP Cadomin FM Kootenay GRP Fernie GRP Spray River GRP Whitehorse MBR Sulphur Mt MBR Ishbel FM Kananaskis FM Tunnel Mt FM Rundle GRP Etherington FM Mt Head FM Livingstone FM Banff FM Exshaw FM Wabamun FM Palliser FM Alexo FM Fairholme GRP Southesk FM Cairn FM Flume FM Skoki FM Outram FM Lynx FM Arctomys FM Pika FM Eldon FM Stephen FM Cathedral FM Mt Whyte FM Gog GRP Miette FM Canadian Shield

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