Though Guy Narbonne attended Brock more than 40 years ago, he is returning to the University on Friday, Nov. 16 to talk about subject matter that took place much further in the past.

More than half a billion years ago, Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve in South-Eastern Newfoundland was home to a population of soft-bodied creatures called rangeomorphs. The architecturally complex organisms lived on the ocean floor and were killed and preserved in exceptional detail when they were covered by beds of volcanic ash.

Each layer of ash created an “Ediacaran Pompeii” of thousands of Ediacaran fossils that are easily visible and available for study on the tops of mudstone beds.

Narbonne (BSc ’75), a professor and research chair at Queen’s University, is visiting Brock Friday to participate in the Faculty of Mathematics and Science Distinguished Alumni Lecture, where he will speak about his work at Mistaken Point.

Narbronne’s talk, the Making of Mistaken Point UNESCO World Heritage Site, will highlight the unique features of the 565 million-year-old fossils while also focusing on the 12-year effort to achieve UNESCO World Heritage status for the site.

The new designation has aided conservation as well as provided a welcome boost in ecotourism that has helped the struggling local economy.

The Making of Mistaken Point, UNESCO World Heritage Site, NL, Canada will take place on Friday, Nov. 16 from 4 to 5 p.m. in STH 202 and is open to everyone.