Trip 11 showcases a hodge podge of time periods not yet experienced. Agate Fossils Beds in Nebraska is a site of Miocene fossils from the middle Cenozoic era. Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada is our representative for Cretaceous, or late Mesozoic era, fossils including many of the most well-known dinosaurs. And the crown jewel of Trip 11 is Yoho National Park in British Columbia. Yoho is the location of one of the most significant fossil locations in the world: The Burgess Shale. The Burgess Shale is from the Cambrian period in the early Palaeozoic era. There are fossils found in the Burgess Shale that do not closely resemble anything living today. This period is the dawn of fossils we can see without a microscope.
Below is a chart showing the various divisions of time from the most recent to the oldest. Locations where fossils from each period can be experienced are given along with links.
Eon
Era
Period
Epoch
Sites
P H A N E R O Z O I C
C E N O Z O I C
Q U A T E R N A R Y
HOLOCENE
The epoch in which we are currently living started around 10,000 years ago. Tasmanian Wolves, Carolina Parakeets and Dodo Birds are but a few of the species which have gone extinct in this epoch.
PLEISTOCENE
Fossils from the Pleistocene look quite similar to organisms currently living today. A good site to visit is the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles.
Petrified Sea Gardens: Fossil Stromatolites - Saratoga Springs, New York. This site is only 500 million years old but since it deals with fossils from this age, stromatolites, it is being put here.
Petrified Sea Gardens: Fossil Stromatolites - Saratoga Springs, New York. This site is only 500 million years old but since it deals with fossils from this age, stromatolites, it is being put here.