Introduction to the Proterozoic Era 2.5 billion to 544 million years ago The period of Earth's history that began 2.5 billion years ago and ended 544 million years ago is known as the Proterozoic. Many of the most exciting events in the history of the Earth and of life occurred during the Proterozoic -- stable continents first appeared and began to accrete, a long process taking about a billion ...

In 1946, our view of ancient life was changed dramatically when the first convincing fossils of Precambrian animals were found in the Ediacara Hills of Australia. The unusual fossils, originally interpreted as jellyfish, strange worms, and frond-like corals, gave scientists their first look at the animals that populated the Precambrian seas. The blue areas on the map show rocks of Ediacaran age, ...