Love this story: Charnia masoni, the first Ediacaran fossil recognised as coming from demonstrably Precambrian strata, was found independently by schoolchildren Tina Negus and Roger Mason in Charnwood Forest, UK. The leaf-like impressions had been seen before but interpreted as geological features. At 560–570 million years old, the rangeomorph animal predates the Cambrian explosion by roughly 20–30 million years; the fossils are housed at Leicester Museum.
Charnia masoni: first Ediacaran fossil recognised in Precambrian strata
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Key facts
- Charnia masoni was the first Ediacaran fossil recognised as coming from demonstrably Precambrian strata; it was discovered in Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire, UK.
- Tina Negus and Roger Mason found specimens independently about one year apart.
- Similar marks had been noticed in the quarry before but were believed to be geological, not biological.
- The specimens are housed at Leicester Museum.
- The fossils are dated to about 560–570 million years ago, roughly 20–30 million years before the Cambrian explosion.
- Charnia is a rangeomorph with a frond-like, branching body, interpreted as an Ediacaran animal.
Sources
Charniaen.wikipedia.org
Charnia masoni was first described from the Maplewell Group in Charnwood Forest in England and was subsequently found in Ediacara Hills in Australia,
Discovering Charniacharnwoodforest.org
The discovery was published in 1958 by Trevor Ford, in the journal Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society. The full name of the fossil is Charnia ...
Bradgate Park fossil named by researchersbbc.com
Charnia brasieri, which was found at Bradgate Park, would have lived on the ancient seafloor about 560 million years ago, and is "one of the ...
Charnia masoni - www.Ediacaran.orgediacaran.org
Charnia masoni was the first Ediacaran fossil to be recognised as coming from demonstrably Precambrian strata and therefore played a fundamental role in ...
560-million-year-old fossil is first animal predatorbgs.ac.uk
In 1957, a fern-like impression in stone turned out to be one of the oldest fossilised animals, Charnia masoni. Sir David Attenborough 'truly ...
Charnia and other late Ediacaran macrofossils preserved ...onlinelibrary.wiley.com
The fossil genus Charnia is emblematic of the evolutionary expansion of metazoans during the late Ediacaran.
Brasier Highlights: Ediacaraoumnh.ox.ac.uk
A cast of Charnia masoni, from the Ediacaran age rocks of Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire. Charnia is a Rangeomorph, one of a group of frond-like organisms ...
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