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New Epoch in History of the Earth

Posted by michael on from the not-taught-in-kansas dept.

exp(pi*sqrt(163)) writes "According to the BBC News, for the first time in over a century geologists have decided to add a new name for a period in the timeline of the planet earth. From now on, the time from 600 million years ago to 542 million years ago is to be known as the Ediacarian Period. Geologists now see this period, just before the first shelled animals appeared, as important enough to deserve recognition in its own right. This will also help to reduce the confusion caused by the myriad of names that have been used for this period up to now."

3 of 30 comments (clear)

  1. Get the name of the period right! by exp(pi*sqrt(163)) · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's Ediacaran, not Ediacarian.

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    1. Re:Get the name of the period right! by jc42 · · Score: 5, Informative

      It's Ediacaran, ...

      Yup, and it's not exactly a new term. The only real change here is deciding to no longer call that period "pre-Cambrian". 50 years ago, not enough was known about things that old to justify declaring an official period name. But now we know a lot more, and there is a rough concensus on where the border belongs, so promoting "Ediacaran" to the top level now makes sense.

      The major book on the early Cambrian is probably still Stephen Jay Gould's "Wonderful Life", though a few minor points in that book have been superseded in the 15 years since it was published. Is there a comparable tome on the Ediacaran fossils? There were some truly alien-looking creatures then, not very similar to anything living on Earth today.

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      Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
  2. Already had a name.. by fluffy666 · · Score: 2, Informative

    This part of the precambrian was previously known as the Vendian period. (Ok, the link does give an alternate name, but this news is at least a decade old).