GENERAL BIOLOGY 2

Geologic Time Scale Basics :

The history of the Earth covers a vast expanse of time, so scientists divide it into smaller sections that
are associated with particular events that have occurred in the past. The approximate time range of
each time span is shown on the poster. The largest time span of the geologic time scale is the eon. It is
an indefinitely long period of time that contains at least two eras. Geologic time is divided into two
eons. The more ancient eon is called the Precambrian, and the more recent is the Phanerozoic. Each eon
is subdivided into smaller spans called eras. The Precambrian eon is divided from most ancient into the
Hadean era,Archean era, and Proterozoic era. See Figure 1.

Precambrian Eon
Proterozoic Era 2500 - 550 million years ago
Archaean Era 3800 - 2500 million years ago
Hadean Era 4600 - 3800 million years ago

Figure 1. Eras of the Precambrian Eon

Single-celled and simple multicelled organisms first developed during the Precambrian eon. There are
many fossils from this time because the sea-dwelling creatures were trapped in sediments and
preserved.
The Phanerozoic eon is subdivided into three eras – the Paleozoic era, Mesozoic era, and Cenozoic era.
An era is often divided into several smaller time spans called periods. For example, the Paleozoic era is
divided into the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian,Devonian, Carboniferous, and Permian periods.

Paleozoic Era
Permian Period 300 - 250 million years ago
Carboniferous Period 350 - 300 million years ago
Devonian Period 400 - 350 million years ago
Silurian Period 450 - 400 million years ago
Ordovician Period 500 - 450 million years ago
Cambrian Period 550 - 500 million years ago
Figure 2. Periods of the Paleozoic Era

The Mesozoic Era contains the Triassic,Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods, as illustrated in Figure 3. It is
often called the Age of the Dinosaurs because of its famous inhabitants.
Mesozoic Era
Cretaceous Period 150 - 65 million years ago
Jurassic Period 200 - 150 million years ago
Triassic Period 250 - 200 million years ago
Figure 3. Periods of the Mesozoic Era

The two periods of the Cenozoic Era are the Tertiary and Quaternary. A period is divided into an even
smaller unit called an epoch. The Tertiary period of the Cenozoic era is comprised of the Paleocene,
Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene. The Quaternary period of the Cenozoic era includes the
Pleistocene and Holocene (Recent) epochs. See Figure 4.
Quaternary Period 2 million years ago - present
Recent (or Halocene) 0.01 million years ago – present
Pleistocene 2 - 0.01 million years ago
Tertiary Period 65 - 0.01 million years ago Pliocene 5 - 2 million years ago
Miocene 25 - 5 million years ago Oligocene 35 - 25 million years ago
Eocene 55 - 35 million years ago
Paleocene 65 - 55 million years ago
Figure 4. Periods and Epochs of the Cenozoic Era

Our Changing Earth

Scientists measure the breakdown of certain atoms in rocks to estimate the age of the Earth. Current
measurements suggest that the Earth is approximately 4600 million years old (4 600 000 000 or 4.6 billion
years old). It has undergone many changes throughout its long history. Some changes caused mass
extinctions to occur. A mass extinction is the complete removal of many species from the surface of the
Earth at the same time. Fossils, the preserved remains of organisms from the past, and other evidence of
mass extinctions show significant changes in the balance of life on Earth. Scientists have subdivided the
geologic time scale to reflect these significant events throughout Earth’s history. Although unfortunate
for the organisms at the time, mass extinctions allow us to identify transitions from one period to another.
The physical features of the Earth have also changed over time. Alfred Wegener (1880 – 1930) proposed
the theory of continental drift to explain the distribution of fossils, patterns and formation of mountain
ranges, and how the shapes of the continents appeared as if they could fit together much like pieces of a
jigsaw puzzle. He suggested that, at one time, the continents were joined together as a single
supercontinent called Pangaea. Over millions of years, Pangaea broke apart and the continents gradually
moved to their present locations. At the time,Wegener could not explain what caused the massive
continents to move. Scientists later developed the theory of plate tectonics to explain how and why
continents move.The surface of the Earth, called the crust, is broken into several large chunks or plates.
As currents of molten (magma) or partially molten rock beneath a section of crust move, they drag the
floating plate along with them. Fossil evidence of tropical plants in Antarctica and elsewhere suggest that
as the plates moved, their climate dramatically changed. Organisms that could not cope with these
changes died and some were preserved as fossils.

Figure 5.The break up of Pangaea and the movements of continents over time

Prepared by: LLP 2020

GENERAL BIOLOGY 2 2ND SEMESTER

NAME:___________________________________
Worksheet # 1 – The Geologic Time Scale
Answer the questions in the spaces provided.

1. Explain the relationships among eons, eras, epochs, and periods of the geologic time scale.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

2. How did scientists account for fossils and other geological evidence as they developed the geologic
time scale?______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
3. Match the description with the appropriate subdivision of the geologic time scale.
Use each term once.
Description Term
_____ Hadean, Archaean, and Proterozoic A. Paleozoic
_____ Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous B. Cenozoic
_____ Tertiary and Quaternary C. Precambrian
_____ Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, D. Mesozoic Devonian, Carboniferous, and Permian.

Worksheet # 2 – Our Changing Earth

Answer the questions in the spaces provided.
1. What was Pangaea?_______________________________________________________________
What evidence supports the past existence of Pangaea?________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Describe the theory of continental drift and identify who first proposed this theory.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3. How did the theory of plate tectonics improve on the theory of continental drift?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

SCORING RUBRIC IN SCIENCE ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

Criteria Poor(1pt) Fair (2pts) Good (3pts)
Complete Answer Did not answer. Answered most of the Answered the
(Questions were questions. questions
answered completely
correct)
Neatness (Having no Messy not enough Neat with some Very neat .
erasures, cross- color erasures .
outs,scribbling and has
use good color ink.)
Spelling(All important Many spellings Some spelling No spelling mistakes.
words regarding the mistakes. mistakes.
questions asks are
spelled correctly)
Directions (All Did not follow Followed most of the Followed directions.
directions were directions. directions.
followed so as to show
understanding the
content)

TOTAL SCORE _____________________________________________________________________

CHECKED BY: __________________________________
PARENTS’ NAME& SIGNATURE: _________________________________________________________