The Cambrian Time Period

The Cambrian Period

541 million years ago-485.4 million years ago

There is speculated to be high levels of oxygen in the atmosphere which are believed to have resulted in many major events involving life. During this time many “soft shelly fish” were alive in the oceans which was the majority of life back then along with other reef like organisms. These “soft shelly fish” are most characterized by the trilobites which have a major abundance in multiple places around the world. According to Travels With Trilobites: Adventures in the Paleozoic, we learn that Trilobites may have first began in the Panthalassic Ocean during this time period. Cambrian: the major event that happened during this period was the “Cambrian explosion” which is known for its relatively fast time of diversification among species. This event is characterized by its emergence of multiple organisms that make up life today. Interesting Facts: 1.The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Palaeozoic era and the Phanerozoic eon. 2.Biologists have learnt quite a lot about the soft parts of Cambrian animals. 3.There were many different kinds of life during the Cambrian period. 4.This adaptive radiation produced the first members of the main groups of animals, called phyla

The largest continent in the Cambrian period was formed called Gondwanan which included many parts of our continents today. There were also other large land masses spread over the world as well that are chunks of our continents today. Gondwana was overlain by shallow shelf seas which changed rapidly due to changing sea levels. The temperature during this time period was an average of 72 degrees Fahrenheit. The breakup of the supercontinent Rodina resulted in major floods as well as melting of glaciers which resulted in a major rise in sea level. Along with this caused oxygen levels in the water to rise dramatically helping to result in the “Cambrian explosion”. In the article Why did Life Develop on the Surface of the Earth during the Cambrian, we learn of a new hypothesis relating to the reason the “Cambrian Explosion” happened. The hypothesis is that there was an increase of the magnetic field dipole intensity due to the solidification of the inner core.

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