The Cambrian Quarry

The best exhibits are tied to place—drawing people in by showing off the wonder of the land beneath their feet.

This exhibit dares visitors to imagine the Cambrian oceans and the strange creatures that once swam, wriggled, and burrowed there over 500 million years ago—an explosion of life in a world covered by seas.

Besides getting hands-on with ancient fossils, this exhibit features the geography of the Cambrian, a geologic timeline of local rocks, and statues commemorating the quarrying of fossil-bearing sandstone that makes up the museum's walls. Paleontology, biology, geology, geography, history—there's truly something for everyone.

Can you find all the Cambrian creatures and their fossils? You might spot early ancestors of fish, squid, or sponges, or perhaps more alien creatures like the cast of trilobites, the bristly Hallucigenia, or the massive Opabinia gliding through the exhibit hall.

This exhibit brings the ancient world to life, teaching us more about our own.