Where are the Ediacara Hills?

South Australia
Ediacara Hills /iːdiːˈækərə/ are a range of low hills in the northern part of the Flinders Ranges of South Australia, around 650 kilometres (400 mi) north of the state capital of Adelaide.

Why is the Ediacaran fossil site worth preserving?

Uncovering important evidence of early life The fossils preserved in the ancient sea-floor at Ediacara record the first known multicellular animal life on Earth that predates the Cambrian. This diverse and exquisitely preserved community of ancient organisms represents a significant snapshot of our geological heritage.

Who owns Nilpena station?

Thanks to our generous supporters, FNPW was able to help fund the acquisition of Nilpena Station in 2019. This acquisition extended the Ediacara Conservation Area in South Australia to preserve the fossil record of some of the world’s earliest animal life forms.

What is the significance of the fossils found in the Ediacara Hills of southern Australia?

The fossils are found in bands of quartzite which form the prominent ridges of the Flinders Ranges. Ediacaran animals show evidence of feeding, movement and reproduction, making them the first known complex life on Earth.

What is the significance of the Ediacara biota?

Traditionally, these fauna have come to represent an important development in the evolution of life on Earth, because they immediately predate the explosion of life-forms at the beginning of the Cambrian Period 541 million years ago.

Where are the fossils in South Australia?

There are good fossil-hunting grounds at the base of the cliffs around Blanche Point at the southern end of Maslin Beach, and farther around the point to Port Willunga. These low hills north of the Flinders Ranges near Leigh Creek made paleontology headlines in 1946 after the discovery of soft-bodied organism fossils.

Where are Ediacaran fossils found?

Fossils of Ediacara organisms have been discovered in some 30 localities over five continents, including seven sites in North America. The principal occurrence is in South Australia’s Ediacara Hills, where more than 1,500 well-preserved specimens have been collected.

Where is Nilpena station?

It is situated approximately 44 kilometres (27 mi) west of Blinman and 99 kilometres (62 mi) north of Hawker in the Flinders Ranges and bounded by Lake Torrens. It occupies an area of 800 square kilometres (309 sq mi).

Why are Ediacaran fossils rare?

The Ediacaran Period ends directly before the Cambrian Period 542 Ma. Because the Cambrian Explosion resulted in such a massive diversification of life, fossils predating this event (and possibly explaining it) are highly sought after.

What caused the Avalon explosion?

History. The Avalon explosion was proposed in 2008 by Virginia Tech paleontologists after analysis of the morphological space change in several Ediacaran assemblages. The discovery suggests that the early evolution of animals may have involved more than one explosive event.

What was alive 560 million years ago?

What was life like 560 million years ago? Bacteria and green algae were common in the seas, as were the enigmatic acritarchs, planktonic single-celled algae of uncertain affinity. But the Ediacaran also marks the first appearance of a group of large fossils collectively known as the “Ediacara biota.”

Where can I find shark teeth in South Australia?

The rocks in Cape Range National Park, near Exmouth on WA’s north-west coast, are around six to 10 million years old and once formed an ancient seabed. Palaeontologists are finding the area to be a rich source of fossilised shark teeth.

Where can I buy gems in South Australia?

Branch address:

• COUNTRY.
• Barossa Gem & Mineral Club – Nuriootpa.
• Flinders Geology, Gem & Mineral Club Inc. – Port Pirie.
• Murraylands Gem & Mineral Club Inc. – Palmer.
• Riverland Gem & Mineral Club – Glossop.
• Yorke Peninsula Gem & Mineral Club – Kadina.
• METROPOLITAN.
• Adelaide Detector Club Inc. – Para Hills.

Why are Ediacaran fossils so rare?

It’s the fossilized cast of an organism, created after an imprint of the creature later filled up with sediment. And it’s among the rarest of the rare: The organism that made this infilled imprint lived around 550 million years ago. The trick to finding the tiny fossils? Nothing beats a healthy dose of serendipity.

What was in the Nilpena ecosystem?

Today, nearly 40 fossiliferous beds have been revealed at Nilpena, representing multiple environments and revealing tens of thousands of extremely well-preserved and diverse Ediacaran fossils.

What did the Ediacara biota look like?

The Ediacara impressions were derived from soft-bodied organisms similar to modern-day jellyfish, lichen, soft corals, sea anemones, sea pens, annelid worms, and seaweed, as well as some organisms unlike any that are known today.

What are the Avalon and Cambrian explosions?

Although there are fewer genera in Avalon than latter assemblages, Avalon fossils occupy the full range of Ediacara morphospace, indicating an explosive evolutionary pattern (the Avalon explosion) similar to the Cambrian explosion of animals that occurred about 542 million years ago.

What are the Ediacaran Hills?

The hills also contain fossils of early multicellular life forms, the Ediacaran biota ( lagerstätte ), and have given their name to the Ediacaran geological period. There are other places on earth that have Ediacaran-era fossils including localities in Newfoundland alongside the Atlantic Ocean.

Is there a settlement in the Ediacara Hills?

There is a settlement named Ediacara in the Ediacara Hills region, but it is small. Due to the placement of the hills with respect to the Goyder Line, there is not much surface water and limited ground water.

Is the Ediacara fossil site heritage protected?

There are two separate fossil sites within the region which have heritage protection: The Ediacara Fossil Site – Nilpena is listed on the Australian National Heritage List, while the Ediacara Fossil Reserve Palaeontological Site which is located 20 kilometres (12 mi) to its north is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.

Where was the Ediacaran fauna found?

Since their discovery, components of the Ediacaran fauna have been found around the world from about the same age, though the fossils in the Ediacara Hills are still the most complete assemblage so far found. The deposit containing the Ediacaran Fauna is a coarse-grained sandstone, the Pound Quartzite .