What is the Ediacaran Period?
The Ediacaran Period (named after the Ediacara Hills of South Australia, where fossils from this period have been found) is a geologic period ranging between about 635 to 542 million years ago. The Ediacaran period features the first macroscopic multicellular fossils, dated as far back as 610 million years ago (Twitya formation), although the most diverse communities are centered around 575 – 542 million years ago. Putative embryo fossils have been dated to the dawn of the Ediacaran, 632.5 million years ago. The Ediacaran Period began immediately after the most severe planetary glaciation (Ice Age) of the last billion years — the Marinoan glaciation. This Ice Age, extending from 745 – 635 million years ago, was so extreme that the period prior to the Ediacaran is named the Cryogenian Period, after the Greek “cryo” meaning “cold.” Some scientists believe that the world’s oceans underwent almost-total freezing episodes during this period, leading to a “Snowball Earth” scenario. Deposits
