Sprigg Salon Conversations: 80 years of Ediacaran Fossils

Join the South Australian Museum and our panel of experts as we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the discovery of the Ediacaran Biota.

Join the South Australian Museum and our panel of experts as we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the discovery of the Ediacaran Biota.

In 1946 our understanding of complex animal life changed as, while on a fateful trip to the Ediacaran Hills of South Australia, Dr. Reg Sprigg, AO, documented the oldest evidence of multicellular animal life on the planet.

550 million years ago the Flinders Ranges was teeming with marine life, leaving evidence of their extraordinary evolutionary journey in the fossil rich sediments of what is now a World Heritage nominated area. Join our panel of experts as they discuss the people, the discovery and the impact that research has had on our understanding of life as we know it.

This is an event not to be missed.

Program for the evening

-          6:00pm – Doors open and welcome drinks served

-          6:20pm – Museum welcome, Acknowledgement of Country and opening remarks

-          6:30pm – 3 short presentations by panelists

-          7:10pm – Panel discussion

-          7:30pm – Panel concludes and Q&A session commences

-          7:45pm – Q&A concludes and closing remarks

-          8:00pm – Event Concludes

About your presenters

Diego was born, raised and graduated in Spain, where he got his BSc in Zoology (1997) and PhD in Palaeontology (2002) from the Complutense University in Madrid. Diego settled in Australia in 2012 and studies the early evolution of animals during the Ediacaran and Cambrian, more than half a billion years ago, particularly in the Flinders Ranges and Kangaroo Island. He has also researched the Canadian Rockies, the Andes and the Atlas Mountains. His expertise focuses on exceptional preservation of trilobites and other arthropods, molluscs, echinoderms, worms, sponges and non-mineralised chordates. He has published widely on fossils from Australia, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, China, Argentina and Peru. 

Stephen Hore is a government geologist of 27 years with the Geological Survey of South Australia, working mainly as a field geologist in some of the remotest parts of the State. Much of his time has been centred on trekking, observing, recording and interpreting the amazing geology of the Flinders Ranges and the surrounding desert plains; particularly the uranium-rich Arkaroola (Mount Painter) region. In addition to his own research programs, he provides geological insight and knowledge, including field presentations to assist student education and research programs, as well as local mineral exploration companies. In 2025 Arkaroola’s Sprigg Family bestowed the inaugural position (Honorary) Chief Geoscientist - Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary to Stephen.

Doug Sprigg is the heart and soul of Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary in South Australia's rugged northern Flinders Ranges. Pilot, amateur astronomer, and passionate conservationist, Doug comes from a family with a remarkable story. His father, geologist Reg Sprigg, made one of the great scientific discoveries of the 20th century when he discovered the Ediacaran fossils in the Ediacara Hills in 1946. Reg and his wife Griselda went on to establish Arkaroola as a sanctuary after the government declined to make it a national park. Today Doug continues that work, flying scientists and visitors over the ancient landscape and sharing its geology, wildlife, and remarkable night skies with all who visit.

The Sprigg Salon series of events is generously supported by Beach Energy