Exploring habitats along ancient coastlines
William McMahon has been awarded a research grant from the Dr. Sch眉rmann Foundation towards his study of 600 million-year-old coastal environments and ecosystems.
Early earth
The fosters and promotes research on the earliest stages of development of the earth. During this geological era, known as Precambrian, the first signs of life started to appear.
Ancient habitats
McMahon will focus on the earliest animals, which started to develop in the final chapter of Precambrian earth history; the Ediacaran Period (635- 541 million years ago). Through detailed sedimentological analysis, he aims to better understand the relationship between these earliest animals and their natural habitats, which McMahon expects to have existed along or near ancient coastlines. William's study will first take him to the Flinders Ranges, Australia, with fieldwork set to commence in July 2019.