CMN 344
Cambrian/Fossils
Q. Where can I find 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.
Table of Contents
- Q. Where can I find fossils in South Australia?
- Q. How old is Brachina Gorge?
- Q. When and where were Ediacaran fossils discovered in South Australia?
- Q. Where can I buy agate in South Australia?
- Q. Where are the Burgess Shale fossils found?
- Q. What is the significance of the Cambrian explosion?
- Q. How long does it take to climb St Mary’s Peak?
- Q. Where is the Brachina Gorge in South Australia?
- Q. How old is the shale in Brachina Gorge?
- Q. When did Ross Fargher find Parachilna fossils in Nilpena Station?
- Q. What kind of car is best for Brachina Gorge?
Q. How old is Brachina Gorge?
Brachina Gorge Geological Trail The trail covers a period of approximately 150 million years. It was a time of climate change, the formation of the Flinders Ranges and the start of primitive life.
Q. When and where were Ediacaran fossils discovered in South Australia?
The Ediacaran fossils were first discovered in the Ediacaran Hills of the Northern Flinders Ranges in 1946 by geologist Reg Sprigg, the founder of the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary. Gradually their significance was recognised as being the earliest forms of complex life on Earth.
Q. Where can I buy agate in South Australia?
Agate
| Classification | |
|---|---|
| Locality Data: | Click here to view Pandurra Homestead, Port Augusta, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, Australia |
| Localities for Agate in this Region | |
| Pandurra agate deposit, Pandurra Homestead, Port Augusta, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, Australia | |
| Nearest other occurrences of Agate |
Q. Where are the Burgess Shale fossils found?
The Burgess Shale is a fossil-bearing deposit exposed in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada. It is famous for the exceptional preservation of the soft parts of its fossils. At 508 million years old (middle Cambrian), it is one of the earliest fossil beds containing soft-part imprints.
Q. What is the significance of the Cambrian explosion?
The Cambrian period, part of the Paleozoic era, produced the most intense burst of evolution ever known. The Cambrian Explosion saw an incredible diversity of life emerge, including many major animal groups alive today. Among them were the chordates, to which vertebrates (animals with backbones) such as humans belong.
Q. How long does it take to climb St Mary’s Peak?
Hike times: The direct route (up the on the escarpment edge) is 6 hours and 14.6km return. The loop route is 9 hours and 21.5km. Rangers recommend you leave on this hike no later than 9am (10am during daylight saving).
Q. Where is the Brachina Gorge in South Australia?
The Brachina Gorge Geological Trail Regional setting One of the best records in the world of sedimentary deposition in the period of geological time between about 800 million and 500 million years ago is exposed in the Flinders Ranges, Mount Lofty Ranges and the Olary region in South Australia.
Q. How old is the shale in Brachina Gorge?
Grey green thinly bedded shale is well exposed in the banks of the Enorama Creek near the Flinders Ranges Way road crossing. Deposited between about 650–645 million years ago in deep quiet water where the finer sediments could slowly settle.
Q. When did Ross Fargher find Parachilna fossils in Nilpena Station?
In the mid-1980s, Ross Fargher (owner of Nilpena Station and the Prairie Hotel) discovered another deposit of similar fossils near the shearers’ quarters on Nilpena Station. Why is this important?
Q. What kind of car is best for Brachina Gorge?
A graded track through the gorge can be travelled with care in most two-wheel-drive vehicles (if not fitted with low profile tyres) except after rain, particularly at the Slippery Dip creek bank ramp (Site 7 on the trail map).
