Articles | Volume 35, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-35-171-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-35-171-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Science report
| 
21 Sep 2026
Science report |
| 21 Sep 2026
| 21 Sep 2026
GRIND-ECT: geological research through integrated Neoproterozoic drilling – Ediacaran–Cambrian transition
Catherine V. Rose
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9TS, Scotland, UK
Simone A. Kasemann
Universität Bremen, MARUM I, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Francis A. Macdonald
Department of Earth Sciences, University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
Melanie Mesli
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9TS, Scotland, UK
Andreas Nduutepo
Regional Geoscience Division, Geological Survey of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia
Ricardo Trindade
Instituto de Astronomia, Geofisica e Ciencias Atmosfericas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Maoyan Zhu
Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Nanjing 210008, China
Anthony R. Prave
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9TS, Scotland, UK
Related authors
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Thiago F. Toniolo, Juliana M. Leme, Dermeval A. Carmo, Thomas R. Fairchild, Luana Morais, and Ricardo I. F. Trindade
J. Micropalaeontol., 42, 83–93, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-42-83-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-42-83-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The early fossils of animals with an exoskeleton witness a key episode in the evolution of life. These fossils, such as the cloudinids, have tubular shapes and an uncertain affinity. The reaction between H2O2 and pyrite can lead to the generation of objects very similar to these fossils. For this reason, the method of rock preparation is a cause for concern. Besides discussing methodology, this work provides criteria to distinguish artifacts from fossils based on their composition and structure.
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Short summary
The Geological Research through Integrated Neoproterozoic Drilling project investigates rocks from the late Ediacaran Period, just before the rise of complex life. Its first stage studies rocks in Namibia and Brazil that contain some of Earth's earliest animal fossils. These cores help reveal environmental shifts that shaped early life and show how early animals developed.
The Geological Research through Integrated Neoproterozoic Drilling project investigates rocks...
