Home›Geological Formations›Geological Age›CambrianEraCambrianKAM-bree-unPhanerozoicReference and ClassificationDevelopingThe first period of the Paleozoic and of the Phanerozoic eon, named for Cambria (Wales), where its rock sequences were first studied. It opens with the most rapid diversification of complex animal life the fossil record shows. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/FactsCambrianConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsRankWell-attestedPeriod 1Start (Million Years Ago)Well-attested538.8 1Revised in early 2022 from the earlier figure of 541 Mya per the cited article.End (Million Years Ago)Well-attested485.4 1Cambrian-Ordovician boundary, ICS standard value.Key EventWell-attestedThe Cambrian explosion: the rapid appearance in the fossil record of most major hard-bodied animal groups alive today. 1Defining EventWell-attestedEvolution 2CambrianFilter Results19 entriesFormation FamilyAllFossil-Bearing Stratigraphic Formations (3)Glaciers of Antarctica (1)Islands of Asia (1)Islands of Europe (1)Mountain Ranges and Peaks (2)Named Monolithic Rocks and Formations (2)Paleozoic Fossil Sites (5)Rift Valleys and Depressions (1)Rock Pillars, Towers and Weathered Rock Groups (1)Ross Sea Region (1)Terranes and Suture Zones (1)Valleys of North America (1)Formation TypeAllFossil-Bearing Stratigraphic Formations (3)Islands of Asia (1)Islands of Europe (1)Mountain Ranges and Peaks (2)Named Monolithic Rocks and Formations (2)Paleozoic Fossil Sites (5)Rift Valleys and Depressions (1)Rock Pillars, Towers and Weathered Rock Groups (1)Ross Sea Region (1)Terranes and Suture Zones (1)Valleys of North America (1)WhereAllAntarctica (2)Australia (2)Canada (1)China (1)Finland (1)Greenland (1)Malaysia (1)Norway (1)Russia (1)Sweden (2)United Kingdom (2)United States (6)Formed By (Process)AllErosion (1)Faulting (1)Glaciation (1)Orogeny (5)Sedimentation (4)Weathering (1)Rock TypeAllQuartzite (2)Sandstone (2)Shale (2)Siltstone (1)Protected StatusAllInternational Treaty Protected Area (3)IUGS Geological Heritage Site (1)Locally or Regionally Protected (2)National Park or Reserve (2)UNESCO Global Geopark (1)UNESCO World Heritage Site (2)DisciplineAllGeomorphology (11)Stratigraphy (8)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 19Alum ShaleCambrianBeinn EigheCambrianBishops and ClerksCambrianBright Angel ShaleCambrianBurgess ShaleCambrianEllsworth MountainsCambrianEmu Bay ShaleCambrianEureka Valley (Inyo County)CambrianKittatinny ValleyCambrianLangkawiCambrianLena PillarsCambrianMaotianshan ShalesCambrianMcMurdo Dry ValleysCambrianScandinavian MountainsCambrianSirius PassetCambrianTapeats SandstoneCambrianVinson MassifCambrianWheeler ShaleCambrianWillis MountainCambrianConnectionsAssociated WithAlum Shale, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Alum Shale Formation (Wikipedia)Beinn Eighe, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Beinn Eighe (Wikipedia)Bishops and Clerks, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Bishops and Clerks (Wikipedia)Bright Angel Shale, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Bright Angel Shale (Wikipedia)Burgess Shale, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Burgess Shale (Wikipedia)Ellsworth Mountains, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Ellsworth Mountains (Wikipedia)Emu Bay Shale, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Emu Bay Shale (Wikipedia)Eureka Valley (Inyo County), Geological Formations Well-attested Source Eureka Valley (Inyo County) (Wikipedia)Kittatinny Valley, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Kittatinny Valley (Wikipedia)Langkawi, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Langkawi (Wikipedia)Lena Pillars, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Lena Pillars (Wikipedia)Maotianshan Shales, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Maotianshan Shales (Wikipedia)McMurdo Dry Valleys, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Wikipedia: McMurdo Dry Valleys, WikipediaScandinavian Mountains, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Scandinavian Mountains (Wikipedia)Sirius Passet, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Sirius Passet (Wikipedia)Tapeats Sandstone, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Tapeats Sandstone (Wikipedia)Vinson Massif, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Vinson Massif (Wikipedia)Wheeler Shale, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Wheeler Shale (Wikipedia)Willis Mountain, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Willis Mountain (Wikipedia)Has Geologic RankGeologic Period, Concepts Well-attested In DisciplineGeochronology, Disciplines Well-attested Source Geologic Time Scale (Wikipedia)Precursor ToOrdovician, Eras Well-attested Sources1. Geologic Time Scale (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationView the Source2. Cambrian (Wikipedia)Lead paragraphQuote, Lead paragraphComplex, multicellular organisms gradually became more common during the Ediacaran, but it was not until the Cambrian that fossil diversity seems to have rapidly increased, an event known as the Cambrian explosion, producing the first representatives of most modern animal phyla.View the SourceLena Pillars (Wikipedia)Associated With: Lena Pillars, Lead paragraphThe pillars are 150-300 metres (490-980 ft) high, and were formed in some of the Cambrian period sea-basins.Associated With: Lena Pillars, Lead, age CambrianThe pillars are 150-300 metres (490-980 ft) high, and were formed in some of the Cambrian period sea-basins.View the SourceMaotianshan Shales (Wikipedia)Associated With: Maotianshan Shales, Lead paragraphThe age of the Chengjiang Lagerstätte is locally termed Qiongzhusian, a stage correlated to the late Atdabanian Stage in Siberian sequences of the middle of the Early Cambrian.Associated With: Maotianshan Shales, Lead, age CambrianThe Maotianshan Shales (simplified Chinese: 帽天山页岩; traditional Chinese: 帽天山頁岩; pinyin: Màotiānshān yèyán) are a series of Early Cambrian sedimentary deposits in the Chiungchussu Formation or Heilinpu Formation, famous for their Konservat Lagerstätten, deposits known for the exceptional preservation of fossilized organisms or traces.View the SourceAlum Shale Formation (Wikipedia)Associated With: Alum Shale, Lead paragraphThe Alum Shale Formation is a rock formation of black shale of Miaolingian (Middle Cambrian) to Tremadocian (Lower Ordovician) in age found predominantly in Scandinavia, but also some parts of Estonia and Finland.Associated With: Alum Shale, Lead, age CambrianThe Alum Shale Formation is a rock formation of black shale of Miaolingian (Middle Cambrian) to Tremadocian (Lower Ordovician) in age found predominantly in Scandinavia, but also some parts of Estonia and Finland.View the SourceWheeler Shale (Wikipedia)Associated With: Wheeler Shale, Lead paragraphTogether with the Marjum Formation and lower Weeks Formation, the Wheeler Shale forms 490 to 610 m (1,610 to 2,000 ft) of limestone and shale exposed in one of the thickest, most fossiliferous and best exposed sequences of Middle Cambrian rocks in North America.Associated With: Wheeler Shale, Lead, age CambrianThe Wheeler Shale (named by Charles Walcott) is a Cambrian (c. 507 Ma) fossil locality world-famous for prolific agnostid and Elrathia kingii trilobite remains (even though many areas are barren of fossils) and represents a Konzentrat-Lagerstätte.View the SourceBeinn Eighe (Wikipedia)Associated With: Beinn Eighe, Lead, age CambrianQuote, Associated With: Beinn Eighe, Lead, age CambrianUnlike most other hills in the area it has a cap of Cambrian basal quartzite which gives the peaks of Beinn Eighe a distinctive light colour.View the SourceBishops and Clerks (Wikipedia)Associated With: Bishops and Clerks, Article text, age CambrianQuote, Associated With: Bishops and Clerks, Article text, age CambrianLlechau-uchaf is formed from the late Cambrian 'Lingula Flags' whilst Carreg-trai is formed from Ordovician acid tuffs of the Llanrian Volcanic Formation.View the SourceBright Angel Shale (Wikipedia)Associated With: Bright Angel Shale, Lead, age CambrianQuote, Associated With: Bright Angel Shale, Lead, age CambrianThe Bright Angel Shale is one of five geological formations that comprise the Cambrian Tonto Group.View the SourceBurgess Shale (Wikipedia)Associated With: Burgess Shale, Lead, age CambrianQuote, Associated With: Burgess Shale, Lead, age CambrianAt c.505 million years old (middle Cambrian), it is one of the earliest fossil beds containing soft-part imprints.View the SourceEllsworth Mountains (Wikipedia)Associated With: Ellsworth Mountains, Article text, age CambrianQuote, Associated With: Ellsworth Mountains, Article text, age CambrianThis terrane was part of the early Paleozoic amalgamation of Gondwana and consists of a 13,000 meters (43,000 ft) thick section of folded Cambrian-Permian strata, which accumulated on Grenville-age continental crust.View the SourceEmu Bay Shale (Wikipedia)Associated With: Emu Bay Shale, Lead, age CambrianQuote, Associated With: Emu Bay Shale, Lead, age CambrianThe Emu Bay Shale is dated as Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4, correlated with the upper Botomian Stage of the Lower Cambrian.View the SourceEureka Valley (Inyo County) (Wikipedia)Associated With: Eureka Valley (Inyo County), Article text, age CambrianQuote, Associated With: Eureka Valley (Inyo County), Article text, age CambrianAccording to a USGS survey map, the surrounding mountain ranges contain rocks that date back to the Mississippian and Cambrian periods while the surficial deposits on the valley floor are made up mainly of alluvium dating to the Quaternary period.View the SourceKittatinny Valley (Wikipedia)Associated With: Kittatinny Valley, Article text, age CambrianQuote, Associated With: Kittatinny Valley, Article text, age CambrianThe Kittatinny Valley was created during the late Ordovician period and the Cambrian period.View the SourceLangkawi (Wikipedia)Associated With: Langkawi, Article text, age CambrianQuote, Associated With: Langkawi, Article text, age CambrianThe island's oldest geological formation, the Machinchang Formation, was the first part of Southeast Asia to rise from the seabed in the Cambrian over half a billion years ago.View the SourceWikipedia: McMurdo Dry Valleys, WikipediaAssociated With: McMurdo Dry Valleys, Article text, age CambrianQuote, Associated With: McMurdo Dry Valleys, Article text, age CambrianThe Palaeozoic Granite Harbour intrusives include granitoid plutons and dykes, which intruded into the metasedimentary Skelton Group in the Late Cambrian-Early Ordovician during the Ross orogeny.View the SourceScandinavian Mountains (Wikipedia)Associated With: Scandinavian Mountains, Article text, age CambrianQuote, Associated With: Scandinavian Mountains, Article text, age CambrianThe lower unit is made up Ediacaran (Vendian), Cambrian, Ordovician and Silurian-aged sedimentary rocks.View the SourceSirius Passet (Wikipedia)Associated With: Sirius Passet, Lead, age CambrianQuote, Associated With: Sirius Passet, Lead, age CambrianSirius Passet is a Cambrian Lagerstätte in Peary Land, Greenland.View the SourceTapeats Sandstone (Wikipedia)Associated With: Tapeats Sandstone, Lead, age CambrianQuote, Associated With: Tapeats Sandstone, Lead, age CambrianExcept where underlain by the Sixtymile Formation, the Tapeats Sandstone is the Cambrian geologic formation that is the basal geologic unit of the Tonto Group.View the SourceVinson Massif (Wikipedia)Associated With: Vinson Massif, Article text, age CambrianQuote, Associated With: Vinson Massif, Article text, age CambrianThe transition beds at the base of the Crashsite Group contain Late Cambrian trilobites.View the SourceWillis Mountain (Wikipedia)Associated With: Willis Mountain, Article text, age CambrianQuote, Associated With: Willis Mountain, Article text, age CambrianThe schists are enveloped by biotite-amphibole gneiss of the Cambrian Chopawamsic Formation.View the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. 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