Simplify the following text for a Grade 10 native English-speaking person.
Original: Its status as an official geological period was ratified in 2004 by the International Union of Geological Sciences ( IUGS ) , making it the first new geological period declared in 120 years .
Simplified: The status of the Ediacaran as an official geological period was confirmed in 2004 by the International Union of Geological Sciences ( IUGS ) . This made it the first new geological period declared in 120 years .