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Geologic Time Scale Construction Lab

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This document provides instructions for creating a scale model of the geologic time scale using adding machine tape. Students will measure and mark the tape to indicate the major divisions o…

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  • Directions
  • Lab Introduction
  • Materials
  • Analysis
  • Geologic Time Scale Questions

Name: ___________________________ Period: ______ 1

Lab: Making a Geologic Time Scale


Background:
How old is the Earth? Well, if the Earth celebrated its birthday every million years,
there would be 4,600 candles on its birthday cake! Humans have been around only long
enough to light the last candle on the cake. Because the Earth is 4.6 billion years old,
geologists have created a geologic time scale to make their job of studying Earth’s history
easier. The geologic time scale is a standard method used to divide the Earth’s long history
into smaller parts. Just as your life’s history is broken up into sections, the history of the
Earth is broken up into smaller sections called time. Your history can be broken up into
sections and labeled as birth, elementary years, middle school years, high school years,
professional years, etc. Time can be broken down even further, they call these eras. Just
think how your school years can be broken down into grades (elementary = 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th,
5th grades). Eras can be further broken down to periods. Think of this like every 9 weeks in
each grade.

Objective
In this activity you will construct a scale model of geologic time that will show the relative
amount of time of the events in Earth’s history.

Materials
5 meters of adding machine tape, Meter stick, Colored pencils, laptop (for research only)

Directions
1. Measure out 5 meters of adding-machine tape and cut.
2. Stretch out the adding-machine tape on the floor. Tape each end of the adding-
machine tape onto the floor or a stable surface.
3. Use a meter stick to draw a continuous horizontal line (i.e., lengthwise) 2 cm from
the top of the 5 m strip of adding-machine tape. Use a scale of 1 meter equals 1
billion years. Each millimeter then represents 1 million years.
4. At one end of the tape, draw a vertical line across the entire tape and label it
“TODAY” using a black marker.
5. Measure off the distance starting from the “TODAY” line that represents 4.6 billion
years (b.y.) ago. Draw a vertical line across the entire tape at that point and label it
“Earth’s Beginning” using a black marker. Then fill out the data table on page 2.
6. Between the top of the paper and the line marked at 2cm, write down the time
using a blue marker that applies. For example, PreCambrian or Phanerozoic (see
data table on page 2).
7. Using the Geologic Time Scale chart:
a. Mark with a vertical line each era and period in Phanerozoic Time. Write the
name of each era below the line marking 2cm with a red marker. Write each
period at the bottom of the paper with a purple marker.
Name: ___________________________ Period: ______ 2

Major geologic time division Time Period Measurement on tape


PreCambrian Time 4,500 – 543 m.y.a.
Phanerozoic Time- Paleozoic Era 543 – 248 m.y.a.
Paleozoic Era – Cambrian Period 543 – 490 m.y.a.
Paleozoic Era- Ordovician Period 490 – 443 m.y.a.
Paleozoic Era- Silurian Period 443 - 417 m.y.a.
Paleozoic Era- Devonian Period 417 – 354 m.y.a.
Paleozoic Era- Carboniferous Period 354 – 290 m.y.a.
Paleozoic Era- Permian Period 290 – 248 m.y.a.
Phanerozoic Time- Mesozoic Era 248 to 65 m.y.a.
Mesozoic Era- Triassic Period 248 – 206 m.y.a.
Mesozoic Era- Jurassic Period 206 – 144 m.y.a.
Mesozoic Era- Cretaceous Period 144 - 65 m.y.a.
Phanerozoic Time -Cenozoic Era 65 m.y.a. - today
Cenozoic Era - Tertiary Period 65 – 1.8 m.y.a.
Cenozoic Era - Quaternary Period 1.8 m.y.a. - today
Suggestion: Start from the “TODAY” line and work your way back through Earth’s
history.

b. Write down each of the following events on your timeline using a marker.
i. Humans appear iii. First fish
ii. First land plants iv. First flowering plants
v. First dinosaurs, xi. Primates appear
mammals xii. First eukaryote
vi. First birds xiii. First amphibians
vii. First multicellular xiv. First insects
organisms xv. Oxygen starts to
viii. The first prokaryote accumulate in
ix. First reptiles atmosphere
x. Extinction that wiped
out approximately
95% of all species

c. Draw in colored pencils an example of the major organisms to evolve for


each period. Lightly color each era a different color using colored pencils.

Analysis:
1. How many years does your tape-time scale represent? ___________________
2. The largest sections of geologic time are called ________________. List them in
order from youngest to oldest.
Name: ___________________________ Period: ______ 3

3. The largest sections are broken up into subsections called ________________.


List them in order from youngest to oldest.

4. By far, the longest geologic time is _________________________________.


5. Which era is longest? _______________________ The shortest? _____________
6. In which eras and periods did dinosaurs, mammals, flowering plants and birds
appear on Earth?

7. Which lived on Earth the longer time, dinosaurs or mammals? Calculate the range
of time for each.

8. Why would it be hard to outline the history of the United States on the geologic
scale?

9. Why is it impossible for a cat fossil to be found in the same sedimentary rock
layer as a dinosaur fossil?

10. Were humans around during the time of the dinosaurs? Explain.

11. How much of the tape has man been around? (use a percentage).

12. How much of earth’s existence will you see in your lifetime? (use a percentage).

Common questions

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Dinosaurs lived on Earth from approximately 248 to 65 million years ago, a span of about 183 million years. Mammals, on the other hand, have been around from the same era to the present day, over 248 million years, making mammals' tenure longer .

It is impossible for a cat fossil to be found in the same sedimentary rock layer as a dinosaur fossil because dinosaurs went extinct about 65 million years ago, which is long before mammals, including cats, evolved. Thus, they do not overlap temporally in geological strata .

Constructing a scale model of geologic time using adding-machine tape helps visualize the immense span of Earth's history, illustrating both the enormity of time elapsed and the relative brevity of recent events. It provides a tangible, educational tool to conceptualize time divisions such as eras and periods .

Outlining recent historical events on the geologic time scale is challenging because the scale covers billions of years, making contemporary events (e.g., the history of the United States) appear exceedingly brief and nearly indistinct .

Humans have been around for a very brief period in the context of the Earth's 4.6 billion years. If measuring from the appearance of humans at the end of the timeline, it can be expressed as a fraction of less than 0.001% of Earth's history .

Dinosaurs first appeared during the Triassic Period, mammals began in the same era, birds emerged by the Jurassic Period, and flowering plants developed in the Cretaceous Period .

The geologic time scale helps geologists by providing a structured framework to divide Earth's 4.6 billion years of history into smaller, more manageable sections. This division allows for easier study and understanding of chronological events, similar to breaking down a human life into stages such as childhood and adulthood .

A human lifetime represents an insignificant fraction of Earth's geologic history, typically less than 0.000002% (using a lifespan of 100 years). This implies that humans see only an exceedingly small snapshot of Earth's long-term geological processes .

The main sections of the geologic time scale are called 'eras,' and these are further divided into 'periods.' Examples of these eras include the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Eras, which are further broken down into periods like the Cambrian and Jurassic .

The longest era within the geologic time scale is the PreCambrian, which spans from 4,500 to 543 million years ago (m.y.a.), while the shortest is the Cenozoic Era, ranging from 65 m.y.a. to today .

Name: ___________________________ Period: ______ 1 Lab: Making a Geologic Time Scale Background: How old is th
Name: ___________________________ Period: ______ 2  Suggestion: Start from the “TODAY” line and work your way back
Name: ___________________________ Period: ______ 3 3. The largest sections are broken up into subsections called __

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