Ediacara Hills facts for kids
The Ediacara Hills are a group of low hills in South Australia. They are about 650 kilometers (400 miles) north of Adelaide, the state capital. This area is famous for two main reasons. First, it has many old copper and silver mines from the late 1800s. Second, and most importantly, the hills are home to amazing fossils. These fossils show some of the earliest forms of complex life on Earth.
These ancient life forms are called the Ediacaran biota. Because of these special fossils, the entire Ediacaran geological period was named after the Ediacara Hills. You can find Ediacaran-era fossils in other places too, like in Newfoundland, Canada, near the Atlantic Ocean.
There is a small town called Ediacara in the hills. The area does not have much surface water or groundwater. This is because of where the hills are located.
Two fossil sites in the region are protected. The Ediacara Fossil Site – Nilpena is on the Australian National Heritage List. The Ediacara Fossil Reserve Palaeontological Site is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Nilpena. It is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.
What Does "Ediacara" Mean?
The name "Ediacara" comes from one of the Aboriginal languages spoken near the Flinders Range area. People first started using this name in the mid-1800s.
Some early ideas suggested that "Ediacara" or "Idiyakra" meant a place near water. However, newer studies of the language suggest something different. The name might be a mispronunciation of two words, "Yata Takarra." These words mean "hard or stony ground." This makes sense because the center of the Ediacara area is a flat plateau made of hard dolomite rock.
Experts who support this idea say that the word "Ediacara" does not sound like any word for water in the local languages. They also mention that local stories say the name meant "granite plain." Even though there isn't granite rock there, it could refer to how hard the ground is, rather than the type of rock.
See also
In Spanish: Yacimiento de Ediacara para niños
