Great Canadian Lagerstätten 6. Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve, Southeast Newfoundland

Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve (MPER) on Newfoundland's southeastern coast is a pivotal global site for Ediacaran fossil research, hosting some of the oldest known soft-bodied macrobiota assemblages. Since their discovery in 1967, MPER's fossils have significantly advanced understanding of Ediacaran paleobiology by preserving in situ benthic paleocommunities with thousands of specimens, enabling detailed studies on ecology, development, preservation processes, taxonomy, and morphology. These insights provide clues about the phylogenetic positions of Ediacaran taxa within the tree of life. A continuous geological record spanning at least 10 million years further contextualizes these fossils temporally and environmentally.

Liu, A. G., & Matthews, J. J. (2017). Great Canadian Lagerstätten 6. Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve, Southeast Newfoundland. Geoscience Canada, 63–76. https://doi.org/10.12789/geocanj.2017.44.117