Rodinia, the hypothetical supercontinent involved in SCP-5253

Item #: SCP-5253

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: Foundation webcrawler I/O-POSE is to monitor both academic and informal publications for any keywords matching SCP-5253. Embedded elements in academia and national governments are to prevent investigations of known Precambrian strata and suppress any individuals aware of SCP-5253.

Update: No further expeditions to the oceanic abysses are to be undertaken without notifying the SCP-5253 research team.

Description: SCP-5253 is an infohazardous theory surrounding the primary causes of the Cambrian explosion.

Due to its nature, specific details of SCP-5253 are dangerous to identify. Known safe details include:

The existence of advanced metazoan oceanic life prior to 1,200 Mya

The colonization of the hypothetical supercontinent Rodinia by this life

A large migration of life into the crust (and possibly the mantle) around 700 Mya

The complete extinction of all non-migrated life in 650-700 Mya

A massive tectonic event releasing the crust life back to the ocean

The evolution of this life into the known Cambrian forms

Consideration and acceptance of the SCP-5253 as valid currently appears to be the trigger for further anomalous effects.

Study of D-Class and affected civilians shows a variety of effects. In the majority of cases, the subject eventually dies of instantaneous conversion of their blood and cerebrospinal fluid to seawater, followed by massive hemorrhaging. The seawater contains a high concentration of extinct protozoa and microbes. Upon expulsion from the body, the life forms in the water rapidly divide and grow into larger and larger forms of prehistoric marine animal life that attempt to collectively move towards a single direction. Testing has shown that all movement is directed towards the Atacama Trench in the Pacific Ocean; investigation of the extrapolated location has revealed no abnormalities.

Study of these life forms in containment shows them to progress through various phyla before reaching a final, radially symmetric body plan. These organisms typically resemble eels or worms in composition, and have multiple shells, eyes and mouths. Over 75 varieties have been documented, each with specialized adaptations also seen in nonanomalous Cambrian life.

Addendum 5253-01: Number of recorded SCP-5253 victims: approximately 2000. On 2019/17/03, a gold mining team in Brazil reportedly encountered a 'strange fossil' in an unexplored tunnel. When the miners viewed the fossil, deep-sea worms, lampreys, and molluscs spontaneously erupted indiscriminately from their tissues and orifices. One miner collapsed the tunnel, destroying the fossil and terminating most of the remaining miners.

The unaffected miners and converted anomalies were amnesticized and contained, respectively. The contained specimens continued to vocalize until their expiration. Investigation of the situation revealed that the owner of the mine was aware of SCP-5253; he has not yet been recovered.

Addendum 5253-02: Number of recorded victims of SCP-5253 now exceeds 10,000. On 2024/03/02, a large tremor in the Atacama Trench was detected, corresponding to a higher-than-usual metabolism in the 0.5 kilometer thick layer of living metazoan tissue beneath the sediment floor. Seismographic measurements confirm the formation of an eye or analogous structure near the thickest part of the layer.