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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 5, 2026

Measuring and Mapping Patterns of Soil Erosion and Deposition Related to Soil Carbonate Concentrations Under Agricultural Management

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Published on: September 12, 2017

Ediacaran life on land.

Gregory J Retallack¹

¹Department of Geological Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-1272, USA. gregr@uoregon.edu

|December 14, 2012

Summary

Ediacaran fossils found in South Australian palaeosols suggest they were terrestrial organisms, not marine animals. These early life forms likely resembled soil crusts or lichens in cool, dry environments.

Area of Science:

Paleontology
Geology
Environmental Science

Background:

Ediacaran fossils (635-542 million years ago) have been debated as early animal ancestors, marine protists, or fungi.
Previous interpretations suggested lagoonal-aeolian deposition for Ediacaran strata.

Purpose of the Study:

To re-evaluate the paleoenvironment and nature of Ediacaran fossils.
To investigate the depositional environment of the Ediacara Member of the Rawnsley Quartzite.

Main Methods:

Documentation of palaeosols and associated sedimentary features.
Analysis of fossil preservation, soil structures (cracks, nodules), and geochemical data.
Paleoclimatic reconstruction based on soil features and isotopic data.

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Last Updated: May 5, 2026

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Main Results:

Confirmation of palaeosols with evidence like non-marine facies, soil nodules, and geochemical differentiation.
Discovery of Ediacaran fossils (e.g., Charniodiscus, Dickinsonia) preserved in growth position on palaeosol surfaces.
Identification of a dry, cold temperate Ediacaran palaeoclimate in South Australia.

Conclusions:

Some Ediacaran fossils represent large sessile organisms living on cool, dry soils.
Fossil preservation is consistent with biological soil crusts (lichens, microbial colonies), challenging marine animal or protist interpretations.
This finding offers a new perspective on early terrestrial ecosystems and life evolution.