In brief
Geologists from Adelaide University uncovered huge underwater canyons in South Australia's Flinders Ranges that were carved during dramatic sea‑level changes. The canyons filled with sediment as sea levels rose, preserving fossils of early soft‑bodied animals that lived more than 538 million years ago. The study, published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, shows how ancient environments helped lock in evidence of the first complex life.
Geologists from Adelaide University found huge underwater canyons in South Australia’s Flinders Ranges that date back more than 538 million years. These channels were carved when sea levels dropped sharply, and later filled with sediment as water rose again, trapping fossils of the first complex animals.
The canyons reach depths of about 280 meters and span more than six kilometres in width. They were formed mostly by powerful underwater erosion, though some may have started above water before flooding submerged them.
When the sea rose, seawater flooded the landscape. The gradual sediment fill created the right conditions to preserve rich fossils of the Ediacaran biota—soft‑bodied organisms that lived before the later explosion of animal diversity. The rock layers in the Flinders Ranges hold evidence of these early life forms.
The research was reported by a university statement released Monday, and the findings appear in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
This discovery helps scientists understand how changes in sea level and erosion shaped the environments that first supported complex life on Earth.
