The Cambrian ( / ˈkæmbri.ən, ˈkeɪm -/ KAM-bree-ən, KAYM-) is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and the Phanerozoic Eon. [5] . 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. [1]

Apr 3, 2025 · Cambrian Period, earliest time division of the Paleozoic Era, extending from 538.8 million to 485.4 million years ago.

Apr 3, 2025 · Cambrian rocks have a special biological significance, because they are the earliest to contain diverse fossils of animals. These rocks also include the first appearances of most animal phyla that have fossil records.

Almost every metazoan phylum with hard parts, and many that lack hard parts, made its first appearance in the Cambrian. The only modern phylum with an adequate fossil record to appear after the Cambrian was the phylum Bryozoa, which is not known before the early Ordovician.

May 27, 2016 · Scientists find some of the best specimens for the “evolutionary experiments” of the Cambrian Period in the fossil beds of the Sirius Passet formation in Greenland; Chenjiang, China; and the...

Oct 28, 2012 · Marine animals with mineralized skeletons make their first appearance in the shallow seas of the Cambrian, though only "small shelly fossils" (tiny shells, spines and scales from early metazoans) and trace fossils are preserved for the first ten million years or so.

Learn more about a time period marked by an intense burst of evolution. The Cambrian period, part of the Paleozoic era, produced the most intense burst of evolution ever known. The Cambrian...

Feb 16, 2014 · The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from 541.0 ± 1.0 to 485.4 ± 1.9 million years ago (mya) and is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux.

Cambrian Period, Oldest time division of the Paleozoic Era. During the Cambrian, 541–485.4 million years ago, there were widespread seas and several scattered landmasses. The largest continent was Gondwana. The average climate was probably warmer than today, with less variation between regions.

The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Palaeozoic era and the Phanerozoic eon. It lasted from 541 million years ago to 485.4 million years ago. [1] . Before it came the Ediacaran, and after it the Ordovician. Biologists have learnt quite …