FOUR EONS

Hadean
Archeozoic
Proterozoic
Phanerozoic
Precambrian
 Cambrian
Ordovician
Silurian
Devonian
Paleozoic Carboniferous
Permian

Triassic
Phanerozoic Mesozoic Jurassic Paleocene
Cretaceous Eocene
Paleogene Oligocene

Tertiary Neogene Miocene

Pliocene
Cenozoic Quaternary Pleistocene
Holocene
Hadean eon

SIGNIFICANT EVENT:

Formation of
the earth.

(PRECAMBRIAN)
archeOZOIC eon
SIGNIFICANT EVENT/S:

• The first prokaryotes

appeared.

• First photosynthesis
happened.

(PRECAMBRIAN)
 PROTEROZOIC eon
SIGNIFICANT EVENT/S:

• The first
eukaryotes and
protist appeared.

(PRECAMBRIAN)
 PhaneroZOIC eon

PALEOZOIC MESOZOIC CENOZOIC

• Cambrian
• Ordovician
• Triassic • Paleogene
• Silurian
• Jurassic • Neogene
Tertiary
• Devonian
• Cretaceous • Quaternary
• Carboniferous
• Permian

(PRECAMBRIAN)
Phanerozoic eon >>Paleozoic Era

PALEOZOIC
• Cambrian
• Ordovician
• Silurian
• Devonian
• Carboniferous
• Permian
 Phanerozoic eon >> Paleozoic Era

Cambrian period
SIGNIFICANT EVENT/S:

• Invertebrates first
appeared.

• Algae diversify.
Algae diversity
 Phanerozoic eon >> Paleozoic Era

Ordovician period
SIGNIFICANT EVENT/S:

• First vertebrates appeared

(e.g. jawless fish, Agnatha)

• Marine invertebrates
diversified (trilobites)
Phanerozoic eon >> Paleozoic Era

Ordovician period

Jawless fish (agnatha) Marine invertebrates diversity First vertebrates appear (ostracoderm)
Mass extinction
445 million years ago

85% death rate

Likely causes:
• Rapid global cooling
• Falling sea levels
Results
• Coastal areas destroyed
• Chemical reactions affected by
cold
Phanerozoic eon >> Paleozoic Era

Silurian period
SIGNIFICANT EVENT/S:

• Appearance of:

• First jawed fish

• First land plants
• First insect (spider)
• Seedless vascular plant
Phanerozoic eon >> Paleozoic Era

Silurian period

• First land plant

• Seedless vascular plant

First insect
(Megarachne)

Shark (acanthodii)
Phanerozoic eon >> Paleozoic Era

Devonian period
SIGNIFICANT EVENT/S:

• First amphibians
appeared

• Fishes diversify

• First gymnosperm
appeared
 Phanerozoic eon >> Paleozoic Era

Devonian period

First amphibian to appear (Ichthyostega) Diversity of fish First gymnosperm

(archaeopteris)
Mass extinction
340 million years ago

70% death rate

Likely causes
• Asteroid impact(s)
• Rapid global cooling
Results
• Local destruction from debris
• Ocean life affected by
temperature
Phanerozoic eon >> Paleozoic Era

Carboniferous period
Phanerozoic eon >> Paleozoic Era

Carboniferous period
Mississippian Pennsylvanian

First winged insect

First reptile (hylonomus)
Arthropods dominated
 Phanerozoic eon >> Paleozoic Era

Permian period
SIGNIFICANT EVENT/S:

• Diversification of
gymnosperms

• Modern insect
appeared

• Reptiles diversified
Phanerozoic eon >> Paleozoic Era

Permian period

Modern insect appeared Diversification of gymnosperms Diversification of reptiles

Mass extinction 250 million years ago

95% death rate

Likely causes
• Volcanic activity
• Increase in methane and
carbon dioxide
• Rapid global warming
Results
• Oxygen removed from oceans
• Desertification of land
Phanerozoic eon >> Mesozoic Era

Triassic
SIGNIFICANT EVENT/S:

• Dinosaur first
appeared

• Domination of
reptiles
Triassic reptiles
 Domination of reptiles

Placerias

Phytosaurus
Mass extinction
200 million years ago

76% death rate

Likely causes
• Increase in methane and carbon
dioxide
• Rapid global warming
Results
• Frequent heat waves
• Desertification of land
Phanerozoic eon >> Mesozoic Era

Jurassic
SIGNIFICANT EVENT/S:

• Dinosaurs
dominated

• First flying reptile

• First bird
(Archaeopteryx)
 First flying reptile
First bird
Domination of dinosaurs (rdesso)
(Archaeopteryx)
Phanerozoic eon >> Mesozoic Era

Cretaceous
SIGNIFICANT EVENT/S:

• Extinction of
dinosaur
• First angiosperm
First angiosperm
Extinction of dinosaur
Mass extinction
65 million years ago

80% death rate

Likely causes
• Asteroid impact
• Volcanic activity
• Falling sea levels
Results
• Widespread fires
• Plants disrupted by global ash clouds
• Nuclear winter
Phanerozoic eon >> Cenozoic Era

CENOZOIC
• Paleogene
Tertiary
• Neogene
• Quaternary
Phanerozoic eon >> Cenozoic Era

paleogene

paleocene eocene oligocene

Phanerozoic eon >> Cenozoic Era>> Paleogene

paleocene
SIGNIFICANT EVENT/S:

• First placental mammal • Angiosperms dominated

• Grasses appeared
Phanerozoic eon >> Cenozoic Era>> Paleogene

eocene

SIGNIFICANT EVENT/S:

• First modern mammal

(rhinos & camels)
Phanerozoic eon >> Cenozoic Era>> Paleogene

oligocene

SIGNIFICANT EVENT/S:

• Most modern mammal

(elephants)