Two notable fossils finds in East Falkland : a 'starfish' and a large trilobite

The fossilised marine fauna contained in the sandstone and mudstone of the Fox Bay Formation is a well-known feature of the Falkland Islands’ geology. The fossils are of Devonian age, about 400 million years old, and were first discovered by Charles Darwin during HMS Beagles’s stay at Port Louis in 1833. Many fossils have been collected since then from localities spread across both East and West Falkland but the abundant and well-preserved material recovered from the Fox Bay area in West Falkland led to the fossiliferous rock unit becoming known as the Fox Bay Formation. The two notable specimens described in this article were both found close to Darwin’s original collecting sites in Berkeley Sound, East Falkland, and demonstrate that new discoveries are always possible despite his best efforts and those of his geological successors. Both specimens were actually found some time ago but have only recently come to wider attention.