THE PROPOSED WORK WOULD INVESTIGATE THE UNDEREXPLORED RECORD OF EARLY ANIMALS FROM THE CANADIAN CORDILLERA BY COMPLETING THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES. THE FIRST TWO OBJECTIVES INCLUDED SEARCHES FOR, AND DOCUMENTATION OF, PALEONTOLOGICAL, SEDIMENTOLOGICAL AND STRATIGRAPHIC INFORMATION PRESERVED WITHIN THREE SHELF-TO-SLOPE TRANSECTS AT MULTIPLE FIELD SITES. THESE LOCAL STUDIES WOULD THEN BE INTEGRATED INTO A REGIONAL STRATIGRAPHIC AND GEOCHRONOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FROM WHICH THE PROPONENTS COULD EVALUATE POTENTIAL FACTORS CONTROLLING THE DISTRIBUTION OF EDIACARAN FOSSILS BY TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS THAT VARYING FAUNAL COMPOSITION IS ENTIRELY THE RESULT OF EVOLUTIONARY CHANGE WITH TIME. A THIRD OBJECTIVE WOULD AIM TO PLACE THESE PROPOSED FINDINGS WITHIN A GLOBAL CONTEXT, INTENDED TO PROVIDE NEW CONSTRAINTS ON THE TIMING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING OF THE EVOLUTION, DIVERSIFICATION, AND SUBSEQUENT DEMISE OF THE FIRST ANIMAL COMMUNITIES ON EARTH.