Article
Article
Ediacaran biota
Article By:
Runnegar, Bruce Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California.
Waggoner, Ben Department of Biology, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, Arkansas.
Last reviewed:December 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.213300
A widely distributed group of soft-bodied marine organisms that are preserved as fossils in rocks of latest Proterozoic age (600–543 million years ago; MYA). The biota characterizes a geological period, known as the Ediacarian or the Vendian, which precedes the widespread appearance of animals with mineralized skeletons. The name Ediacara refers to an abandoned mining area about 380 mi (600 km) north of Adelaide, South Australia.
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
