The Avalon Peninsula is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland. It is 9,220 square kilometres (3,560 sq mi) in size.
Aspidella is an Ediacaran disk-shaped fossil of uncertain affinity.
The Ediacaranbiota consisted of enigmatic tubular and frond-shaped, mostly sessile organisms that lived during the Ediacaran Period. Trace fossils of these organisms have been found worldwide, and represent the earliest known complex multicellular organisms. The Ediacaran biota may have radiated in a proposed event called the Avalon explosion, 575 million years ago, after the Earth had thawed from the Cryogenian period's extensive glaciation. The biota largely disappeared with the rapid increase in biodiversity known as the Cambrian explosion. Most of the currently existing body plans of animals first appeared in the fossil record of the Cambrian rather than the Ediacaran. For macroorganisms, the Cambrian biota appears to have completely replaced the organisms that dominated the Ediacaran fossil record, although relationships are still a matter of debate.
Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve is a wilderness area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2016) located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada which contains the Mistaken Point Formation, the site of Ediacaran fossils representing the oldest multicellular life on Earth. The reserve contains one of the most diverse and well-preserved collections of Precambrian fossils known. In order to view these fossils, visitors must either reserve a guided tour with Natural Areas staff or obtain a permit issued by the Government of Newfoundland & Labrador. For more information about visiting the site, see the Government of Newfoundland & Labrador website via the following link https://www.flr.gov.nl.ca/natural_areas/wer/r_mpe/.
The Chapel Island Formation is a sedimentary formation from the Burin Peninsula, Newfoundland, Canada. It is a succession of siliciclastic deposits, over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) thick, that were deposited during the latest Ediacaran and earliest Cambrian.
The Drook Formation is a geologic formation in Newfoundland and Labrador. It preserves fossils dating back to the Ediacaran period. It contains a stratum dated to 575.8 ± 0.5 million years ago.
The Mistaken Point Formation is a geologic formation in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is recognized as a Lagerstätte preserving fossils dating back to the Ediacaran period. It contains a stratum dated to 565 ± 3 million years ago.
The Fermeuse Formation is a fossil-bearing Ediacaran geologic formation in Newfoundland.
The Renews Head Formation is a geologic formation in Newfoundland and Labrador. It preserves fossils dating back to the Ediacaran period.
The Trepassey Formation is a geologic formation that crops out in Newfoundland. It preserves fossils dating back to the Ediacaran period.
The St John's Group is a fossiliferous shale-dominated Ediacaran geologic group in Newfoundland and Labrador, younger than 565 ± 3 million years ago.
Haootia quadriformis is an extinct animal belonging to the Ediacaran biota. Estimated to be about 560 million years old, H. quadriformis is identified as a cnidarian polyp, and is regarded as the earliest animal possessing muscles. Discovered in 2008 from Newfoundland in eastern Canada, it was formally described in 2014. It is the first Ediacaran organism discovered to show fossil of muscle fibres. Structural comparison of the muscles and morphology indicate that the animal is a cnidarian, though, which class H. quadriformis belongs to is currently undetermined.
The Random Formation is a rock unit in Newfoundland dating to the early Cambrian period, dominated by tidal quartz arenites deposited in a near-shore environment, but also incorporating intertidal and open-shelf deposits, including glauconitic and mud-cracked mudstones, and red channel sandstones. It was deposited quickly and is approximately 175 m thick. The Blue Pinion Formation was originally recognized as a separate formation, but is now interpreted as an expression of the Random Formation.
Cochleatina is an organic-walled microfossil known from the late Ediacaran period. It comprises a spiral structure with a serrated outer margin, embedded in an organic sheet.
Young's Cove Group is a stratigraphic group covering the Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary (in the Chapel Island Formation, cropping out on the Burin Peninsula and elsewhere in Newfoundland.
Parviscopa is a genus of frondose forms characterized in 2008 based on specimens from Newfoundland, Canada. Parviscopa is a member of the Ediacaran biota, and is more specifically part of the Avalon type assemblage, which is from the older part of the Ediacaran and is characterized by deep water deposits.
