Ediacaran, a whole new Precambrian period in history of geology identified by Reg Sprigg

Flinders Ranges fossils from the Ediacarian period identified by Reg Sprigg.

Reg Sprigg’s enduring claim to geological fame stems from 1946 when he was sent by the South Australian government to inspect abandoned mines in the Flinders Ranges’ Ediacaran Hills to see whether they could be reworked using new technologies.

He discovered fossils that he believed were very ancient, either early Cambrian or even Precambrian age.  But it was difficult to prove the worth of his discovery, with explorer and geologist Douglas Mawson initially unconvinced it was anything significant.

Sprigg submitted a paper to the journa; Nature but it was refused. He travelled to London and presented his findings to the 1948 International Geological Congress s but failed to excite interest or belief.

Later work by Professor Martin Glaessner at Adelaide University showed that the fossils were indeed of the latest Precambrian age. Although Precambrian animal fossils had been reported before, they had not been accepted universally as organic. This discovery resulted during 2004 of the Ediacaran period, the first new geological era created in more than 100 years.

Sprigg’s Ediacaran find has been being recognised, with South Australia's first state fossil emblem, Spriggina,  named after him.

Reg Sprigg’s interests in mining and oil and gas exploration were balanced by a great love for the environment.

For many years, Sprigg lived at Arkaroola in the Flinders Ranges, where he established one of Australia's first eco-tourism resorts, Arkaroola Wildlife Sanctuary.