Gaojiashania fossil map
Where fossils of Gaojiashania have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 555 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 555 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Ediacaran & Cambrian life |
|---|---|
| Lived | 635–521 million years ago (Ediacaran to Stage 2) |
| Periods | Ediacaran, Cambrian |
| Named by | Yang et al. 1986 |
| Fossil records | 14 occurrences at 9 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, China, Estonia, Namibia, Russia |
| Rock formations | Dengying, Deep Spring, Wood Canyon, Lontova, Zaris, Aim |
About Gaojiashania
Gaojiashania cyclus is an extinct fossil worm-like, soft bodied organism known from the Ediacaran of China and North America. Composed of repeating ring-like units, G. cyclus is flexible, soft, and not easily preserved. Pyritization prior to decay of soft parts results in the well preserved casts and molds we see today. It probably had an epibenthic mode of life.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Gaojiashania (revision 1346625315), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q138852547.
