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Cambrian

Also known as Cambrian Period, Cambrian System

The Cambrian ( ) is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era and the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 51.95 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran period 538.8 Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Ordovician Period 486.85 Ma.

AI overview

The Cambrian is the earliest geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting about 52 million years from 538.8 to 486.85 million years ago. It marks the beginning of the Phanerozoic Eon, the time interval that encompasses all of Earth's history with visible life forms.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Geologic timespan.name: Cambrian
Geologic timespan.color: Cambrian
Geologic timespan.image_map: Mollweide Paleographic Map of Earth, 510 Ma.png
Geologic timespan.caption_map: A map of Earth as it appeared 510 million years ago during the Cambrian Period, Series 2 epoch
Geologic timespan.timeline: Cambrian
Geologic timespan.name_formality: Formal
Geologic timespan.celestial_body: Earth
Geologic timespan.usage: Global (ICS)
Geologic timespan.timescales_used: ICS Time Scale
Geologic timespan.chrono_unit: Period
Geologic timespan.strat_unit: System
Geologic timespan.proposed_by: Adam Sedgwick, 1835
Geologic timespan.timespan_formality: Formal
Geologic timespan.lower_boundary_def: Appearance of the Ichnofossil Treptichnus pedum
Geologic timespan.lower_gssp_location: Fortune Head section, Newfoundland, Canada
Geologic timespan.upper_boundary_def: FAD of the Conodont Iapetognathus fluctivagus.
Geologic timespan.upper_gssp_location: Greenpoint section, Green Point, Newfoundland, Canada
Geologic timespan.sea_level: Rising steadily from 4 m to 90 m

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image: Cambrian Stromatolites from New York State.jpg

Show 5 more facts

Commons category: Cambrian
sRGB color hex triplet: 7FA056
start time: 538800000-
end time: 486850000-
exact match: resource.geosciml.org/classifier/ics/ischart/Cambrian

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~42 min read

Article

35 sections

Contents

Etymology and history
Geology
Stratigraphy {{anchor|Subdivisions}}
Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary
Terreneuvian
Cambrian Series 2
Miaolingian
Furongian
Cambrian–Ordovician boundary
Impact structures
Paleogeography
Laurentia
Gondwana
Ganderia, East and West Avalonia, Carolinia and Meguma Terranes
Baltica
Siberia
Central Asia
North China
South China and Annamia
Climate
Geochemistry
Isotope excursions
Base of Cambrian
Cambrian Stages 2 and 3
Cambrian Stage 4 to early Miaolingian
Early Furongian
Magnesium/calcium isotope ratios in seawater
Flora
Oceanic life
Symbol
Gallery
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Most of the continents were located in the southern hemisphere surrounded by the vast Panthalassa Ocean. The assembly of Gondwana during the Ediacaran and early Cambrian led to the development of new convergent plate boundaries and continental-margin arc magmatism along its margins that helped drive up global temperatures. Laurentia lay across the equator, separated from Gondwana by the opening Iapetus Ocean.