Olenellus fossil map
Where fossils of Olenellus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 525 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 525 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Trilobites & sea scorpions |
|---|---|
| Lived | 521–486.85 million years ago (Stage 3 to Stage 10) |
| Periods | Cambrian |
| Family | Olenellidae |
| Named by | (Hall 1861) |
| Fossil records | 353 occurrences at 94 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Canada, Greenland, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Mexico, Argentina |
| Rock formations | Carrara, Kinzers, Pioche , Pioche Shale, Sekwi, Forteau |
About Olenellus
Olenellus is an extinct genus of redlichiid trilobites, with species of average size (about 5 centimetres or 2.0 inches long). It lived during the Botomian and Toyonian stages of the Lower Cambrian (Olenellus-zone), 522 to 510 million years ago, in what is currently North America, part of the palaeocontinent Laurentia.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Olenellus (revision 1372178652), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 22 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in.
