GEOLOGIC TIME
EON ERA PERIOD SCALE EPOCH TIME SPAN
TIME
DURATION
(million
HIGHLIGHT
years)
Hadean 4,567 to 536 Named after Hades, was marked by intense volcanism and heavy
4,031 Ma asteroid impacts
Archean 4,031 to 1531 The first single-celled organisms appeared as well as the first
2,500 Ma cyanobacteria, which began to produce oxygen.
Proterozoic 2,500 to 1961 First appearance of animals during this time and development of the first
538.8 Ma multicellular organisms.
Phanerozoic 538 to 0 538 It is the eon in which we live, and is characterized by the emergence of
Ma all major groups of plants and animals.
Paleozoic 541 to 252 Earth's continents were combined into a single supercontinent called
Refferences: Ma Pangaea.
Cambrian 541-485.4 Marine arthropods were the most common animals of the time
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Ordovician 485.4-443 The first coral reefs appeared during this time, and fish became more
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Geologic_time_Silurian 443.8-419 The first jawed fish as well as the first land animals, such as insects and
scale scorpions.
Devonian 419.2-358 First amphibians appeared during this time, and land plants began to
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www.geologyinCarboniferous 358.9-298 Vast amounts of coal use today were formed from plants that lived during
.com/ this time.
2014/12/ Permian 298.9-252 Ended with the largest mass extinction in Earth's history, which killed off
about 90% of all marine life.
geologic-time-
Mesozoic 252 to 66 "age of dinosaurs." During this time, dinosaurs were the dominant land
scale-major- Ma animals on Earth.
eons-eras.html Triassic 252.2-201. The first dinosaurs appeared during this time.
Jurassic 201.3-145 Dinosaurs were the dominant land animals of the time and the climate
became warmer.
Cretaceous 145-66 Ended with the second-largest mass extinction in Earth's history, killed off
all dinosaurs except for birds.
Cenozoic 66 Ma to Great diversity among mammals, and is also marked by the rise of
present human civilization.
Paleogene 66-23.03 It was a time of recovery from the Cretaceous mass extinction, the first
primates appeared.
Paleocene 66.0-56.0 Began with the extinction of the dinosaurs and ended with the rise of the
first mammals and birds.
Eocene 56.0-33.9 Warm, wet climates and lush forests.
CODING Oligocene 33.9-23.0 Time of cooling and drying climates
Neogene 23.03-2.58 The first hominins appeared duringATIBAGOS,
this time, as well
ANAFE S. as the first grasses.
EON (Blue) Miocene 23.0-5.3 Continued cooling and drying climates.
BSE EDHominins
SCIENCE 3 began to walk upright.
ERA (Yellow) Pliocene 5.3-2.6 Hominins became more diverse during this time, and the first Homo
PERIOD (Green) species appeared.
Quarternary 2.58 Humans evolved and became the dominant species on Earth. The
EPOCH (Red)
million Quaternary Period is also known for its ice ages.
years ago
to present
Pleistocene 2.6 ma Characterized by a series of ice ages and interglacial periods. Humans
evolved during this time.
Holocene 11,700 ago It has been a time of relatively stable climates and human expansion.
