Geologic time scale

Eons

Eras

Periods

Epochs

Eons
-largest intervals of geologic time with duration of hundreds of million of years
Geologic time scale is divided into 4 eons namely:
1. Hadean Eon
- also known as the rockless eon because during this time the Earth is molten ant it would only solidify as it is
cooled
2. Archean Eon
- single-celled organisms such as blue green algae and bacteria first appeared
Subdivided into 4 eras:
a. Eoarchean era
b. Paleoarchean era
c. Mesoarchean era
d. Neoarchean era
3. Proterozoic Eon
- first continents appeared
- it is marked by the appearance of multicellular animals like sponges and mass extinction of these organisms
Subdivided into 3 eras:
a. Paleoproterozoic era
b. Mesoproterozoic era
c. Neoproterozoic era
4. Phanerozoic Eon
Subdivided into 3 eras:
a. Paleozoic era
- Pangaea was formed during this time
*Paleozoic era is divided into 6 periods namely:
a.1. Cambrian Period
- Age of Trilobites
- marine invertibrates like shellfish, echinoderms, brachiopods, mollusks evolved
a.2. Ordovician Period
- volcanoes and mountains were formed
- first corals, seaweed and fungi appeared
a.3. Silurian Period
- Caledonian mountains of Scandinavia and coral reefs were formed
- first jawed fishes and anthropods like insects, centepedes and millipedes appeared
a.4. Denovian Period
- Acadian mountains of North Jersey were formed
- known as the Age of Fishes
- first tetrapods, amphibians, sharks appeared
- mass extinction happen near the end of the period because of glaciation and meteorite impact
a.5. Mississippian Period
- Appalachian mountain of North America were formed
- first winged insects appeared, ice covered large areas of the Earth
a.6. Pennsylvanian Period
- first reptiles, ferns, mayflies, cockroaches appeared
a.7. Permian Period
- Ural mountains of Russia were formed
- known as the Age of Amphibians because during this time, amphibians and reptiles are the
dominant animals and gymnosperms are the dominant plants
- largest mass of extinction occurs due to glaciation and volcanism
b. Mesozoic era
- break up of Pangaea occurred
- rift was developed between what is now North America and Western Africa which result in the formation of
the Atlantic Ocean
- Mesozoic means middle animals, dinosaur lie in these periods
*Subdivided into 3 periods namely:
b.1. Triassic Period
- Palisades of New Jersey and the Caucasus mountains of Russia were formed
- first dinosaurs, mammals and crocodyliformes appeared
- turtles and ichthyosaurs came to existence
-Triassic period ended with an extinction event called end-triassic resulting in the decimation of
about 76 percent of marine and terrestrial life.
b.2. Jurassic Period
-Rocky Mountains found in western North America rose during this time and volcanoes in
western North America were active
- many dinosaurs like the giant lizard-hipped dinosaur roamed the Earth
- during this time, first birds, such as the Archeopteryx appeared, first flowering plants evolved
b.3. Cretaceous Period
- dinosaur dominated during this time
- first crocodilians and feathered dinosaur appeared
- earliest known butterfly, snakes, ants, and bees appeared during this time
C. Cenozoic Era
- sometimes called the Age of Mammals because they were the largest animals during this time
- mammals dominated the land, grasses emerged
- ocean during this time is teeming with fish like tuna, swordfish, and barracuda
*Subdivided into 3 periods namely:
c.1. Paleogene Period
Categorized into 2 epochs:
c.1.1. Eocene Epoch
- marked by a brief period when the concentration of the Carbon isotope 13𝐶
in the atmosphere was exceptionally low
- ended with the major extinction event called Great Break in Continuity
c.1.2. Oligocene Epoch
- came from the Greek word “oligos” meaning few and “kainos” which means new
- marked by the continuous drifting of the continent to their present day positions
-first felid, the Proailurus, spread to Europe
- Pinnipeds, the ancestors of modern-day seals appeared during this epoch
c.2. Neogene Period
Categorized into 2 epochs:
c.2.1. Miocene Epoch
- warmer climate compared to Oligocene epoch
- kelp forest and grasslands first appeared
- about 95% of the modern seed plant were already present
c.2.2. Pliocene Epoch
- cooler and more arid climate compared to Miocene epoch
- ice accumulated at the poles, resulting in the extinction of species living there
- Australopithecus was thought to have evolved during this epoch
- collision of the tectonic plates of India and Asia which result in the formation of the
Himalayas happened
c.3. Quaternary Period
Categorized into 2 epochs:
c.3.1. Pleistocene Epoch
- characterized by global cooling, also known as the Ice Age
- many species of plants, birds, and mammals present today were already in existence
- mammoths and many large animals roamed the Earth but went extinct before the
epoch ended.
- Homo sapiens spread out the worldwide
c.3.2. Halocene Epoch
-Earth at present
- known as the Age of Man or Anthropocene
- recorded history of human existed
- humans developed technological advancement