Cambrian substrate revolution ：from matgrounds to bioturbated mixgrounds
Abstract：Precambrian ecosystems are characterized by the flourish of microbiota and wide occurrence of stro- matolites and microbially induced sedimentary structures. Metazoans and their trace fossils, occurong after the Neoproterozoic ＂Snowball Earth＂ event, made up of ＂The Garden of Ediacara＂ with microbial mats. Late Neoproterozoic seafloor were characterized by well-developed microbial mats and poor development of vertical- ly-oriented bioturbation, thus it provied a fairly stable, relatively low water content sediment surface With a sharp water-sediment interface. Microbially-bound seafloor became increasingly scarce in shallow-marine set- tings of Cambrian, largely due to evolution of burrowing organisms with an increasing vertically-oriented com- ponent to their bioturbation. This ＂ Phanerozoic-style＂ seafloor had a blurry water-sediment interface, greater water content, and lacked well-developed microbial mats. With the reworking increase of metazoans in Cam- brian shallow marine settings, the trace fossils tended to be more diverse and complex, and microbial mat- grounds retreated to deep sea and gradually disappeared.
Keywords：microbial matgroundstrace fossilsbioturbated mixgroundsCambrian substrate revolution
Publication Date：2012-03-01
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 159-164 )