About the Show

The 36th annual Rock and Gem Show and Sale, Marvellous Mud - A Discovery of Fossils and Mud-Formed Jaspers, took place October 25 and 26, 2014 at Kyle Centre in Port Moody.

The show's central attraction was a collection of Burgess Shale fossil casts on loan from the Royal Ontario Museum. The casts gave visitors an opportunity to examine representations of some of the extraordinary soft-bodied organisms preserved in the Burgess Shale and helped make fossils a major educational focus of the weekend. Fossil preparer Rod Bartlett demonstrated his craft, while additional displays included fossil fish from Fossil Lake in Wyoming and leaf imprints from the Okanagan Highlands.

The other half of the Marvellous Mud story explored lapidary materials formed from ancient sediments. The lead case staged an amusing "face off" between landscape and porcelain jaspers, bringing fossils and mud-formed stone together under a single geological theme.

The Royal Ontario Museum loan extended for six months, giving the club an unusual opportunity to take the Burgess Shale story beyond its annual show. Rather than simply returning the casts after the weekend, the club made the most of the loan by developing Burgess Shale Nights, two special educational evenings subsequently held at Riverside Secondary School in Port Coquitlam and Port Moody Secondary School in Port Moody.

For those events, the ROM casts were joined by fossils from other well-known sites in British Columbia, Wyoming and China. Students could examine material up close using magnifying glasses and microscopes, while retired geology teacher Erica Williams presented a slideshow and talk about the Burgess Shale. In this way, a temporary museum loan that began as the centrepiece of the 2014 show developed into a broader community science outreach project.

The club thanked Peter Fenton and Jean-Bernard Caron of the Royal Ontario Museum for helping provide the fossil casts, the Burgess Shale Geoscience Foundation for show handouts, and the teachers and schools that later helped make the Burgess Shale Nights possible.

Featured Exhibits & Guests

• Burgess Shale. Fossil casts on loan from the Royal Ontario Museum formed the central display of Marvellous Mud, introducing visitors to the remarkable organisms preserved in one of Canada's most famous fossil deposits.
• From show to classroom. Because the ROM loan continued for six months, the club used the opportunity to create Burgess Shale Nights. The casts were subsequently displayed at two local secondary schools alongside additional fossils, microscopes and an educational presentation.
• Fossil preparation. Fossil preparer Rod Bartlett demonstrated the techniques used to expose and prepare fossils, allowing visitors to see some of the careful work that takes place between discovery and display.
• Marvellous Mud. Fossils shared the show with mud-formed lapidary materials, including a playful "face off" between landscape and porcelain jaspers that demonstrated the striking patterns ancient sediments can produce in stone.
• Interactive geology. The club introduced an Interactive Display Table hosted by Erica Williams, giving visitors an opportunity to handle specimens and discuss rocks, fossils and geology in an informal setting.

Show Highlights

• Dealers and Sales Tables
• Displays
• Interactive Display Table
• Spin & Win
• Gem Panning
• Rock Smash
• Silent Rock Auction
• Demonstrations
• Refreshments

Photos from the Show

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The Royal Ontario Museum's Burgess Shale fossil casts were the centrepiece of Marvellous Mud and ultimately inspired a wider school outreach project.

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