Ediacaran Fossil Casts

Mistaken Point NL | 2010

Mistaken Point is home to the world’s oldest, largest and best preserved examples of Ediacaran life forms, representing the earliest known complex multicellular organisms in the fossil record. We were contracted by the Royal Ontario Museum and the Government of Newfoundland to produce life size casts that precisely replicate the surface of the rock face housing the 565-million year old Ediacaran fossils. These are the largest reproductions of abundant Ediacaran fossils anywhere in the world and are intended for scientific and educational purposes. After much discussion and negotiation amongst the partners of the project, we sent a crew of 6 employees to Mistaken Point. Equipment was flown in by helicopter while the crew trekked in and out of the Geological Reserve on foot daily. For the most part, Mother Nature was kind during our 8-day stay on the rock surface. Towards the end of the week, however, she decided to test our endurance with relentless wind, rain, and cold temperatures. In the end, we were able to complete our intended goal of molding 750 square feet of rock surface, leaving behind no trace of our workmanship. Back at our facility, the daunting task of heavy 750 square foot mold and producing a full surface replication of the internationally important and irreplaceable Mistaken Point rock surface began. From the mold, a gel coat and fiberglass replica was produced. From this master replication, a series of smaller sections were reproduced for the Portugal Cove South visitor centre, Royal Ontario Museum, Queen’s University, Johnson GeoCentre, and the University of Oxford.