What is an early arthropod from the Cambrian period?

trilobite, any member of a group of extinct fossil arthropods easily recognized by their distinctive three-lobed, three-segmented form. Trilobites, exclusively marine animals, first appeared at the beginning of the Cambrian Period, about 542 million years ago, when they dominated the seas.

When was the mid Cambrian Period?

541 million to 485.4 million years ago
Cambrian Period, earliest time division of the Paleozoic Era, extending from 541 million to 485.4 million years ago.

What important fossils come from the Cambrian period?

Cambrian Explosion The iconic arthropods of the Cambrian were the trilobites, which left a huge number of fossils. Trilobites had flattened, segmented, plated bodies that helped to protect them in seas that were increasingly filled with predators.

What is Cambrian Period in geography?

The Cambrian was a period of transition between those tectonic modes, and continents were scattered, apparently by fragmentation of Rodinia. Major Cambrian and early Ordovician tectonism affected large areas of Gondwana in what are now Australia, Antarctica, and Argentina.

What does the name Cambrian Period mean?

The Cambrian Period is the first geological time period of the Paleozoic Era (the “time of ancient life”). The period gets its name from Cambria, the Roman name for Wales, where Adam Sedgwick, one of the pioneers of geology, studied rock strata. Charles Darwin was one of his students.

What type of rock is Cambrian?

Boundaries and subdivisions of the Cambrian System It contains a thick and continuous marine succession of mostly shale, siltstone, and sandstone.

What is the Cambrian Period?

Credit: Bill Frische | Shutterstock. The Cambrian Period is the first geological time period of the Paleozoic Era (the “time of ancient life”). This period lasted about 53 million years and marked a dramatic burst of evolutionary changes in life on Earth, known as the “Cambrian Explosion.”.

How long did trilobites live in the Cambrian Period?

Trilobites were the dominant species during the Cambrian Period, 540 to 490 million years ago. This period lasted about 53 million years and marked a dramatic burst of evolutionary changes in life on Earth, known as the “Cambrian Explosion.”.

How long did the Cambrian explosion last?

This period lasted about 53 million years and marked a dramatic burst of evolutionary changes in life on Earth, known as the “Cambrian Explosion.”

What type of fossils were found in the Cambrian Period?

Fossils of the Cambrian Period. Arthropods are the most abundant, although the groups are not as diverse as those found in the later Burgess Shale formation. The Sirius Passet has the first fossil indications of complex predator/prey relationships. For example, Halkieria were slug-shaped animals with shell caps at either end.