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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Ediacaran

One important site is the Weng'an Biota in China, a roughly 590 million year old fossil deposit preserved in rocks of Ediacaran age.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

Ediacaran fossils have been found on every continent except Antarctica, but sites with more than 10 species are extremely uncommon.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026

The fossils belong to the Ediacaran biota, a collection of mostly soft-bodied organisms that lived on ancient seafloors more than 500 million years ago.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026

After billions of years dominated by microscopic organisms, the Ediacaran period, which lasted from about 635 million to 539 million years ago, saw the emergence of the first animals.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026

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