Geologic Timescale and Natural History of the Earth

Jahid Masud Akon

Units in geochronology and stratigraphy

Units in geochronology and stratigraphy Segments of rock (strata) in chronostratig raphy Eonothem Erathem System Periods of time in geochron ology Eon Era Period

Notes 4 total, half a billion years or more 12 total, several hundred million years

Series Stage
Chronozone

Epoch Age
Chron

tens of millions of years millions of years

smaller than an age/stage, not used by the ICS timescale

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Eons
Precambrian Supereon
Present time

18.28 GY =4570 Ma

Hadean
770 Ma

15.2

10

2.2

Archean
1300 Ma

Proterozoic
1958 Ma

Formation of the Earth and later, Moon (Cryptic Era)

Phane rozoic
542 Ma

First lifeform and self replicating RNA appears (16 GY, Basin Groups Era)
First simple single-celled life (Prokaryote, Eoarchean Era) First complex single-celled life (Eukaryote, Statherian Period) First multi-cellular animal (Metazoan, Ediacaran Period)

(GY = Galactic Year, the time the Solar System takes to go round the centre of the Galaxy once; Ma = Millions of years (ago), Megaanum) Page 3

1 GY = 250 Ma

Cambrian Explosion (Cambrian Period)

Hadean & Archean Eon to Eras

18.28 GY

15.2

10

2.2

Phanerozoic

Hadean
Formation of Moon from giant impact (4533Ma)

Archean
50 Ma 70 Ma
Nectarian Lower Imbrian

Proterozoic
First known oxygen-producing bacteria; Oldest cratons on earth

420 Ma
Cryptic

230 Ma
Basin Groups

200 Ma
Eoarchean

400 Ma
Paleo archean

400 Ma
Meso archean

300 Ma
Neo archean

Proterozoic Eon

Solar Nebula 18.28 GY =4570 Ma 16.6 15.68

15.4 15.2

14.4

12.8

11.2

10 Paleoproterozoic Era

First lifeform and self-replicating First simple single-celled life (bacteria RNA appears & archaea); Oldest probable microfossils (4000Ma) End of the Late Heavy Bombardment of the inner solar system.

Formation of the Earth Page 4

First stromatolites (probably colonial cyanobacteria); Oldest macrofossils

Oldest known mineral, Zircon (4406 Ma)

Proterozoic Eon to Eras & Periods

18.28 GY

15.2

10

2.2

Phanerozoic

Hadean
Archean Eon
200 Ma Siderian

Archean

Proterozoic

250 Ma Rhyacian

250 Ma Orosirian

200 Ma Statherian 200 Ma Calymmian

200 Ma Ectasian

150 Ma 200 Ma Stenian Tonian

88 Ma Ediacaran 220 Ma Cryogenian

Phanerozoic Eon

Neoarchean 10 GY Era

9.2

8.2

7.2 6.4

5.6

4.8 4

3.4

2.52 2.2

Paleoproterozoic 900 Ma

Mesoproterozoic 600 Ma

Neoproterozoic 458 Ma

Cambrian Period

Period Era Page 5

Snowball Earth

First complex single-celled life (Eukrayote)

Green algae colonies in sea

First multi-cellular animal (Metazoan); First sponges, trilobitomorphs

Phanerozoic Eon to Eras

18.28 GY

15.2

10

2.2

Hadean

Archean

Proterozoic

Phanero zoic

Precambrian Supereon & Proterozoic Eon

Ediacaran Period

2.2

Paleozoic
291 Ma

Mesozoic
186 Ma

0.26

Cenozoic
65 Ma

(= 65 Ma)

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Paleozoic Era to Periods

Proterozoic Eon 2.2 GY

Paleozoic

Mesozoic

Cenozoic
0.26
(= 65 Ma)

Precambrian Supereon & Proterozoic Eon

Cambrian Explosion; First chordates appear; Atmospheric CO2 content 20-35 times present day levels

First clubmosses, ferns, seed-bearing plants, trees, insects, aquatic amphibians First reptiles, coal forests; Highest-ever atmospheric O2 level letting arthropods to flourish

Mesozoic Era

54 Ma Cambrian
Ediacaran Period 542 Ma (= 2.2 GY) 488

44 Ma
Ordovician

28 Ma
Silurian

56 Ma
Devonian

60 Ma
Carboniferous

49 Ma
Permian

444

416

360

300

Triassic 251 Period (= 1 GY)

First green plants & fungi on land First vascular plants, jawed fishes; First millipedes & arthropleurids on land; Sea-scorpions reach large size Page 7

Pangea formed; First true seed-plants (conifers) & mosses replace coal-age flora

Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction (95% life goes extinct)

Mesozoic Era to Periods

Proterozoic Eon 2.2 GY

Paleozoic
First birds & lizards; ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, gymnosperms (conifers, cycads) diverse; Breakup of Pangaea into Gondwana and Laurasia

Mesozoic

Cenozoic
0.26 (= 65 Ma)

Paleozoic Era

K-T Mass Extinction Most large animals (dinosaurs) go extinct

Cenozoic Era

51 Ma Triassic
Permian Period 251 Ma (= 1 GY) 200

55 Ma

80 Ma

Jurassic

Cretaceous

145

Paleogene Period 65 (= 0.26 GY)

Archosaurs dominate as dinosaurs, ichthyosaurs, nothosaurs & pterosaurs; First mammals, crocodilians, teleosts appears Page 8

Flowering plants, new insect types, new dinosaur types, new eusuchians, modern sharks, monotremes, marsupials, placental mammals appear; Primitive birds gradually replace pterosaurs

Cenozoic Era to Periods and Epochs

Proterozoic Eon 2.2 GY

Paleozoic

Mesozoic

Cenozoic
0.26 (= 65 Ma)
Ice Age recedes; Rise of human civilization

First large mammals, modern plants appear; Indian subcontinent collides with Asia 55Ma

Evolution of anatomically modern humans; Dawn of human stone-age cultures

Mesozoic Era

2.489 Ma
Grass appears; atmospheric CO2 decays

2.8 Ma
Pliocene

Pleistocene Holocene

9.2 Ma
Paleocene

21.8 Ma
Eocene

11 Ma
Oligocene

17.7 Ma
Miocene

0.0114 Ma

Permian Period 65 Ma (= 0.26 GY) 55.8

42 Ma
Epoch Period Page 9 Paleogene

34
23

23 Ma

5.3

2.5

0.0114 (=11.4 ka)

Neogene First apes appear

Major evolution & dispersal of modern types of mammals & flowering plants

Austrapithecines appear; Homo habilis appears; Present Ice Age begins;

The End

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