Devonian Reef

The Devonian Reef exhibit is a life-like re-creation of an Alberta marine environment some 400 million years ago.

This diorama depicts a reef environment in Alberta during the late Devonian, 375 to 365 million years ago. In 1947, Imperial Oil's discovery of petroleum in a buried reef at Leduc triggered an intense search for Devonian Reefs in the subsurface of Western Canada.

Tropical Alberta, straddling the equator and covered by shallow seas, was ideal for the growth of reefs during the late Devonian. Warm tropical waters supported a myriad of organisms that are now preserved as fossils. At times, falling sea level resulted in salt accumulations in basins on marine platforms.

Like modern reefs, Devonian Reefs often extended for many kilometers, their margins dissected by grooves and spurs. This diorama represents only a tiny area of a reef margin and shows the steep walls near the top of the reef slope.

The Devonian Reef is the first step in the ambitious new exhibition developed by the Royal Tyrrell Museum since its opening in 1985. Called The Palaeozoic Redevelopment, it traces the history of life from its beginnings to the time of the dinosaurs. Spectacular dioramas, leading edge computer imagery, and superb original fossils all contribute to this wonderful story. Exhibits will be phased in from 1994 through 1997. Check out our What's New page for the newest breaking details.

This document was prepared by Wayne Hortensius, Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the Royal Tyrrell Museum Cooperating Society. All information © 1995 Royal Tyrrell Museum. All Rights Reserved.
Updated: July 9, 1995

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