Ediacaran

British  

/ ˌiːdiːˈækərən /

adjective

1. of, denoting, or formed in the last 50 million years of the Neoproterozoic era, during which a new texturally and chemically distinctive carbonate layer appeared, indicating climatic change

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noun

1. the Ediacaran period or rock system

Ediacaran Scientific  

/ ē′dē-ä′kə-rən /

1. Relating to a group of fossilized organisms that are the earliest known remains of multicellular life. They are soft-bodied marine life forms that date from between 560 and 545 million years ago, during the late Precambrian Eon.

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Etymology

Origin of Ediacaran

C20: named after the Ediacara Hills in the Flinders mountain range in South Australia

Example Sentences

"Life was pretty nice during the Ediacaran, so the need for sex was rather limited," said lead author Dr. Emily Mitchell from Cambridge's Department of Zoology.

From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026

In the nutrient-rich oceans of the Ediacaran, this strategy worked extremely well.

From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026

Like many other Ediacaran organisms, they vanished from the fossil record at the start of the Cambrian period roughly 540 million years ago.

From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026

To investigate why evolution appeared to slow during this period, Mitchell and co-author Professor Andrea Manica studied fossils from Mistaken Point in Newfoundland, one of the world's most important Ediacaran fossil sites.

From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026

Unlike most Ediacaran fossil sites, which preserve organisms as simple impressions in sandstone, the Jiangchuan Biota fossils are preserved as carbonaceous films.

From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026