On November 22nd the Johnson Geo Centre, in collaboration with the Faculty of Science, is challenging the public to help search for early animal life in the walls and breakwaters around Quidi Vidi Lake.
Ediacaran fossils of early animals from 560 million years ago can be found Avalon Peninsula – and not just at Mistaken Point or the Bonavista Peninsula.
Last week, Memorial University’s Palaeobiology research group, in the Department of Earth Sciences, identified rocks from that time period in the armour-stone that protects the pathways around Quidi Vidi. Those rocks contain fossils.
Anyone who finds an interesting structure they think might be a fossil is invited to upload an image of it to, #FossilOrNot to Facebook or Instagram, tagging @JohnsonGeoCentre, or @NLGEOCENTRE on Twitter. Don’t forget to include a caption of where it was found. A Memorial palaeontologist from Memorial will review the submissions and determine if it’s a ‘fossil or not-a-fossil.’
All participants who submit photos that are authenticated as fossils will be entered into a draw for prizes from the Faculty of Science and the Johnson Geo Centre. The deadline for submitting photos is Friday, Nov. 26 at noon with prize draws taking place that afternoon.