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TOPIC CONCEPT MAP

Earth's History

explained through

Relative Dating Absolute Dating Fossils Geologic Time Scale

subdivided into

Eons

subdivided into

Eras

subdivided into

Periods

subdivided into

Epochs

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Figure 1. The Geologic Time Scale in clock chart form

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geologic_time_scale

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Geologic Time The Precambrian Supereon

Table of Contents When talking about the Earth, people tend to focus on the materials
present to them because these are the keys to its past. Because of
The Geologic Time Scale 3 recent discoveries and theories to support them, people came to know
The Precambrian Supereon 3-5 that the early universe was just a hot mess. But as it cools, those that
Hadean Eon: The Burning Earth 3 still retain heat began to merge and form large bodies that are still
Archaean Eon: The First Rain 4 messy but somehow found order within the chaos. From large clumps
Proterozoic Eon: The First Freezer 4-5 of gas, galaxies are formed, which also included stars that made
The Phanerozoic Eon 5-9 planets. As old as the planet Earth is, it did not start as a clean lump
Paleozoic Era: When Life Booms Over 5-6 of rock in space. This is the period scientists named it the Precambrian
Mesozoic Era: The Land Before Time 6-7 supereon [from pre- + Cambria, a Latinized word describing Welsh
Cenozoic Era: From “Cool Off” to “Toxic” 7-9 people]. It is called a supereon because it contains three (3) different
References 9 eons that highlight the significant events in its early life (about ⅞ of the
Earth’s history).
The Geologic Time Scale • Hadean Eon: The Burning Earth
This is the stratigraphic history of the Earth. Stratigraphy is defined as Period: approx. 4.6–4.0 billion years ago
“the ordering and analysis of the Earth’s layers (known as a bed or Etymology: Gk. Hades, the god of the underworld, associated
strata) based on chronological dating techniques and relative with hell and infernos
positions with each other” (Doney et al., 2019). Since the birth of the
This the earliest iteration of the Earth, with its earliest materials
solar system, the Earth almost shares its age with the Sun, at least 4.6
becoming almost nonexistent in the present time (except for
billion years old. With this much history, it is astonishing to think that
meteorites and the few surviving Hadean zircons in Australia). The
humans only thrived at less than a percent of the Earth’s existence.
theories that we have studied in our very first module all provided
mechanisms on how the solar system, and the Earth, came into
TERMS TO REMEMBER
existence. What these theories agree on is that the early Earth is
• Eon devoid of life and still made of molten material.
Also known as an eonothem in stratigraphy, this is the largest time
division, lasting billions of years [Gk. aion, “age, lifetime, eternity”]. Highlights:
• Era o Formation of the moon from the speculated collision of the
Also known as an erathem in stratigraphy, this is a subdivision of Hadean Earth to “Theia.”
an eon, scaling hundreds of millions of years [Lat. aera, “calculator o Formation of the Earth itself, with its “hellish” landscapes.
counter”] o The Iron Catastrophe occurs (which is 500 million years after
• Period the Earth’s formation).
Also called a system in stratigraphy, this is a subdivision of an era, o The Earth’s magnetic field began to manifest.
lasting tens of millions of years [Gk. periodos, “cycle, going o The first solid continental crust is formed.
around”] o Several Bombardment events occurred.
• Epoch o Continents began to form from continental crusts.
Also called as a series in stratigraphy, this is a subdivision of a
period, lasting around several million years. Epochs also contain
smaller timeline units called “ages” that represent a few million
years [Gk. epokhe, “fixed point of time, stoppage”].

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• Archaean Eon: The First Rain
Period: approx. 4.0–2.5 billion years ago
Etymology: Gk. arkhein (“to be the first”)
After the hot ordeal, the newly formed crust from the Iron
Catastrophe began to cool down, forming shield rocks.
Approximately 70% of the known landmass was formed at this
time. Small “islands” float around the molten “seas” of the slowly
cooling planet. Because of its newly acquired mass, its gravity
became sufficient to create a rudimentary atmosphere made of
methane, ammonia, and other gases. Water from comets and
hydrated minerals from the Great Bombardment delivered more
water vapor and ice. This period is still the most poorly understood
eon despite recent discoveries because of how long it transitions
to the next.
Highlights:
o The first rain fell on Earth, filling in the early oceans with liquid
water.
o Microfossils found at present indicate that chemoautotrophs
became the first living organisms to live on the surface
(around 3.5–2.8 billion years ago).
o The formation of the first atmosphere
o The birth of extremophiles
o The dissolution and utility of carbon
o The very first supercontinent, Vaalbara, was formed, although
its existence is still heavily debated [portmanteau of two (2)
ancient cratons, Kaapvaal and Pilbara].
✓ A craton is a large stable block of crust, which forms a
continent’s base for expansion and growth.
✓ Vaalbara eventually broke up and reformed into Ur [Ger.
ur, “original”], a relatively small supercontinent.
✓ Ur later reformed into a new supercontinent, Kenorland
[etymology unknown]. Kenorland was formed after the
general accretion of materials that form new continental
crusts.
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• Proterozoic Eon: The First Glacier
Period: approx. 2.5 billion – 541 million years ago
Etymology: Gk. proteros (“former, earlier”) + zoion (“animal, life”),
“former life”
Also known as the cryptozoic eon [Gk. kryptos + zoion, “hidden
animal”], it is the period where life began to dominate the Earth’s
surface. Around this time, major events occurred, such as the
formation of tectonic plates, the symbiosis of some prokaryotes
for better survival, and the first extinction. However, the
boundaries of both Proterozoic and Phanerozoic eons are not
clearly defined because of the gradual transition from a carbon-
rich atmosphere into an oxygen-rich one.
Highlights:
o The formation of several supercontinents occurred separately
before combining into a single landmass.
✓ After Kenorland, the first to form is Arctica [Gk. arktikos,
“of the north” (literally, “of the Bear,” about Ursa Major)].
✓ After Arctica, two (2) supercontinents were born:
Atlantica and Columbia (also known as Nuna).
- Atlantica formed alongside a smaller craton, Nena
[Gk. atlantikos, “belonging to Atlas,” the titan who
shouldered the world].
- Columbia is a supercontinent located near to the
North Pole but was also at the almost-perfect center.
It was formed after Atlantica [named in honor of
Christopher Columbus].
✓ Rodinia was the third supercontinent born after the two
(2) supercontinents [Rus. rodinia, “motherland”].
✓ The last supercontinent to form was Pannotia, whose
landmass components were located almost entirely at the
Earth’s southern hemisphere [Gk. pan- + notos (“south”),
“all southern”].
o The birth of photosynthetic organisms and “energy-
converting” organisms (i.e., chloroplasts and mitochondria) at
sea
o The First Ice Age (probably) occurred.
o The First Extinction of carbon-dependent prokaryotes, and the
subsequent proliferation of early eukaryotes and surviving
prokaryotes, due to the increase in oxygen.
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✓ Cnidarians [pronounced nigh-DARE-yuhns] are the first
eukaryotes, making them living fossils. Jellyfish and
corals are examples of cnidarians [Gk. knide, “needle”].
The Phanerozoic Eon
After the Earth was covered with prokaryotes, some teamed up for
survival. Once the First Extinction passed, what was left were
eukaryotes, some oxygen-dependent prokaryotes, and even fewer
extremophiles. They all adjusted to the ever-changing conditions of
the Earth’s surface and competed for dominance over the utility of the
abundant resources here. Thus, the Phanerozoic eon came to
existence, which is an eighth of the whole history of the Earth [Gk.
phaneros (“manifest, visible”) + zoion, “life manifested”].
• Paleozoic Era: When Life Boomed Over
Period: approx. 542–251 million years ago
Etymology: Gk. palaios (“old, ancient”) + zoion, “old life”
Also known as the Age of Invertebrates, it is the period where
eukaryotes began to dominate the scene. This era began when
Rodonia broke up and formed a new supercontinent, Pangaea.
Plants became the sole dominant land organism. Before the end
of this era, several animals began to live on land. Majority of the
time periods are named after people or places in the United
Kingdom.
Periods and Highlights:
o Cambrian Period [from Cambria, the Latinized name of
Wales, a country in the United Kingdom]
▪ Marked the boom in evolution in all living organisms
(known as the Cambrian Explosion), creating biodiversity
▪ Stratigraphy is marked with ichnofossils (i.e., trace fossils)
known as the Treptichnus pedum (i.e., preserved animal
burrows).
▪ Almost all marine life evolved.
▪ Algae evolved after their first appearance.
▪ The first fish and the early vertebrates appeared
sometime later.
▪ Armored arthropods, such as trilobites, were ubiquitous.
▪ Pannotia eventually broke up and reformed as
Gondwana, which is unique because its landmasses
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were divided [Indian (In.) gondavana, “forest of the Gondi
people”].
o Ordovician Period [from the Latinized name of a Welsh tribe,
Ordovices]
▪ Evolved organisms began to speciate (i.e., develop to do
specific tasks), also known as the “major diversification of
animal life.”
▪ Armored and shelled organisms dominated the world.
▪ The first arthropods began to conquer the still empty
Gondwana.
▪ A second Ice Age came, lowering global ocean levels and
devastating and eliminating 25% of known families and
60% of marine invertebrates.
✓ This marks the first extinction of eukaryotes.
✓ The remains became major petroleum and gas
reservoirs.
▪ Some of the strata that were dated in this period were
mudstones.
o Silurian Period [from the Latinized name of a Welsh tribe,
Silures]
▪ The Earth healed after the previous Ice Age, increasing
the once low ocean levels and allowing some species to
thrive in water.
▪ Fish evolved, both jawless and jawed species, as well as
both saltwater and freshwater.
✓ The very first freshwater fish came to be during this
period.
▪ Arthropods were still the dominant predators, with early
arachnids and centipedes dominating the landscapes.
▪ Fungi also conquered the land, along with the very first
vascular plants, particularly the extinct Cooksonia.
▪ The first four (4) continents to exist were Gondwana,
Laurentia, Baltica, and Avalonia.
▪ Some of the strata that were dated in this period were
shale.
o Devonian Period [from Devon, a county in England]
▪ It is known as the Age of the Fish due to the enormous
diversification and speciation of fish.
▪ The first amphibians evolved.
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▪ Plants diversified on land, developing the first trees
alongside the development of lignin and seeds.
▪ Arthropods gained new habitats but made the fish the new
dominant predators.
▪ Some volcanic island arcs and sandstone were primarily
built in this period.
▪ At least 70% of all species became extinct due to the Late
Devonian extinction, which is primarily caused by plant
domination.
o Carboniferous Period [Lat. carbo (“coal”) + ferre (“to carry”),
“coal-bearing”]
▪ Rocks dated in this period are varied.
✓ There have been records of limestone, sandstone,
shale, and coal dating back to this period.
✓ However, coal deposits dominate other rock deposits.
▪ Average global temperatures were exceedingly high.
▪ Tropical swamps were developed.
▪ Lignin-laden plants and trees grew taller and became
more numerous, including seed ferns.
▪ Amniotic eggs were developed, allowing amphibians to go
farther inland and become the dominant vertebrate.
▪ The first reptiles appeared.
▪ Because of the cool global temperatures, rainforests
collapsed and a third Ice Age came.
o Permian Period [from Perm, a region in Russia]
▪ All separate continents formed Pangaea.
▪ The major marker of the Permian period is the Ural
mountains (where Perm itself is located).
▪ Reptiles dominated the scene, with early dinosaurs such
as Dimetrodon and Edaphosaurus, evolving and
dominating Pangaea.
▪ The first cone-bearing plants (true conifers and cycads)
and the ginkgo (sometimes written as gingko) evolved
and thrived in the new landscape.
▪ Near the end, however, Pangaea became drier, thus
creating more deserts.
▪ More vertebrates dominated the scene, such as
Scutosaurus and Gorgonopsids.
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▪ Eventually, a third extinction came, which is known as The
Great Dying.
• Mesozoic Era: The Land Before Time
Period: approx. 251 to 66 million years ago
Etymology: Gk. mesos (“middle”) + zoion, “middle life”
Also known as the Age of Reptiles or Age of the Dinosaurs [Gk.
deinos (“terrible”) + sauros (“lizard”), “terrifying lizard”], it is the
period where the Earth began to recover from its third extinction.
It is a period of massive tectonic, climatic, and evolutionary
activities. With a varying climate, mighty beasts roamed the lands
and vied for dominance. Because of the boom of conifers, this is
also called the Age of Conifers.
Periods and Highlights:
o Triassic Period [Gk. trias, “triad, three”]
▪ Marked the boom in reptilian evolution after The Great
Dying, where almost 95% of all known species during the
Permian Period became extinct
✓ There were survivors, including the Lystrosaurus,
Labyrinthodonts, and Euparkeria.
▪ Divided into three (3) epochs: Early, Middle, and Late
Triassic
▪ Temnospondyls became the dominant lifeform.
▪ The first mammals appeared.
▪ Pangaea broke up and formed the Tethys Ocean.
▪ Ecosystems and marine life slowly recovered.
✓ Ichthyosaurs and nothosaurs were dinosaurs that
specialized in marine living.
▪ Pine trees, mosquitoes, and fruit flies flourished.
▪ Because of the fluctuating climate of this period, a fourth
extinction occurred at the transition period to Jurassic.
✓ Despite this, no known coal deposits were formed
from the start of this period (known as the coal gap).
o Jurassic Period [Fr. Jurassique, “from the Jura Mountains”,
the Jura Mountains is a mountain range bordering France and
Switzerland]
▪ Divided into three (3) epochs: Early, Middle, and Late
Jurassic
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▪ Rock samples that were dated in this period are mostly
limestone.
▪ Global climate became more tropical than Triassic.
▪ Plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and ammonites dominated the
oceans.
▪ Land lifeforms continued to compete for dominance, such
as the Dilophosaurus, Diplodocus, Allosaurs, and
Brachiosaurus.
▪ The first true crocodiles evolved in this period, pushing
large amphibians to near extinction.
▪ Mammals began to evolve as well, remaining relatively
small but prolific (such as the Castorocauda and the
Fruitafossor).
▪ Despite the existence of social insects, ants were not yet
present.
▪ The first birds appeared, with the Archaeopteryx and the
Aurornis as the well-known species.
o Cretaceous Period [Lat. cretaceus (from creta, “chalk”),
“chalk-like”]
▪ This is the longest period in the Mesozoic era, but only
contains two (2) epochs: Early and Late Cretaceous.
▪ Contains the most fossil samples of the Mesozoic era,
creating limestone layers, hence its name.
▪ Seaways began to expand, which led to the extinction of
sauropods (herbivore dinosaurs).
▪ Seasonal climates returned, but dinosaurs still roamed
the polar forests.
▪ Mammals began to expand their ranges.
▪ Temperatures began to slowly lower until the Cenozoic
era.
▪ New dinosaur such as the Tyrannosaurus, Ankylosaurus,
and Triceratops began to boom
▪ The fifth extinction of most non-avian dinosaurs may have
been caused by an asteroid impact, where ¾ of the total
species on Earth were wiped out.
▪ The first primates and flowering plants appeared.
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• Cenozoic Era: From “Cool Off” to “Toxic”
Period: approx. 66 million years ago up to the present time
Etymology: Gk. kainos (“new, novel”) + zoion, “new life”
Also known as the Age of Mammals [Lat. mamma, “breast,
bosom”], it is the period where mammals began to dominate the
Earth. It only has three (3) periods, but each has been divided into
epochs due to the various evolutions that occurred.
Periods, Epochs, and Highlights:
o Paleogene [Gk. palaios + genes, “ancient birth”]
▪ Paleocene [Gk. palaios + kainos, “first new”]
- The period’s name roughly translates as the “old part
of the Eocene.”
- Because of the asteroid impact during the late
Cretaceous period, carbon content increases,
resulting in acidification of oceans and a spike in
global temperature.
- Pangaea was somehow still intact, but distinct
regions began to form.
✓ The Rocky Mountains began to form.
✓ The Americas were still separate.
✓ The Indian plate began with its collision with Asia.
- With the death of the giant non-avian dinosaurs,
mammals began to roam the Earth despite having
ambiguous classifications.
✓ Most recorded information about this period came
from marsupials and placental mammals.
✓ Ray-finned fish began to dominate the seas.
▪ Eocene [Gk. eos + kainos, “rising new”]
- Carbon-13 in the atmosphere was at its all-time low
compared to Carbon-12.
- Ended with the Grande Coupure, a significant
extinction event where most European fauna were
replaced by Asian fauna
- Pangaea fragmented and began to move away from
each other, with Australia and Antarctica still
connected.
✓ Laurasia fragmented into Europe, Greenland,
and North America.
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✓ An asteroid impacted the eastern coast of North
America around 35 million years ago, creating the
Chesapeake Bay Impact Crater.
✓ India began to collide with Asia, forming the
Himalayas.
- Palm trees expanded its territory, but not as much on
the northern areas.
- Ungulates, artiodactyls, perissodactyls, and primates
began to roam the lands.
▪ Oligocene [Gk. oligos + kainos, “few new”]
- Only a few fossil specimens were recorded to be from
this epoch, which were all obtained in Germany.
✓ This has been evidenced by the lack of mollusk
fossils during this period.
- Notable for starting after the Grande Coupure
- Global temperatures began to decline slowly.
- Continents were still in motion, with Antarctica
occupying the South pole completely, isolating it from
the rest.
- Orogeny occurred in North America and Europe.
- Deciduous plants began to evolve in this period.
- Plains and deserts became more common.
o Neogene [Gk. neos + genes, “new birth”]
▪ Miocene [Gk. meion (“less”) + kainos, “less new”]
- It contains 18% fewer sea invertebrate species.
- It marked the era of consecutive ice ages.
- Apes began to dominate the scene, with the human
ancestors deviating from its chimpanzee species.
- Most modern species of plants and animals evolved
from this period.
- Grasslands began to expand, while kelp forests first
appeared here.
- This period sparked the interest of geologists
because the Himalayas were developed in this time
via glaciation.
▪ Pliocene [Gk. pleios (“more”) + kainos, “newer”]
- The epoch’s name roughly translates as the
“continuation of the recent.”
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- Global sea levels were 25 meter higher than it is
today.
- Continents are still in motion, with South America
linking with North America via the Isthmus of Panama.
✓ This results with the extinction of the
Sparassodonta and the Meridiungulata.
✓ Africa collided with Europe, forming the
Mediterranean Sea.
✓ Therein exists a land bridge between Alaska and
Siberia.
- Pliocene deposits are found in the Mediterranean,
China, and India.
- Deciduous forests began to proliferate, pushing
conifers further up north.
- New biomes appeared, as well as the
Australopithecus, the very first hominin (i.e., human-
like organism).
o Quaternary [Lat. quaternarius (“of four each”), “fourth”]
▪ Pleistocene [Gk. pleistos (“most”) + kainos, “newest”]
- This is the period humans are familiar with as the Ice
Age, with multiple glaciations occurring during this
time.
- Glaciers once transported non-marine sediments
found in riverbeds, lakebeds, slope, and loess
deposits worldwide.
✓ Nevertheless, cave deposits, limestones from
mineral springs, and volcanic deposits were also
prevalent during this period.
✓ Several, if not most, Pleistocene deposits are
found several hundred meters above sea level.
- Mammals such as mammoths, mastodons, the
Smilodon, giant sloths, and the Gigantopithecus once
roamed the Earth.
▪ Holocene [Gk. holos (“whole”) + kainos, “brand new”]
- This is the period after the last Ice Age.
- This is the time where human species began to boom,
with the advancements of technology, livelihood,
infrastructures, and knowledge, which includes the
present time.
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- Continents have established themselves into the

ones known today.
▪ Anthropocene [Gk. anthropos (“man, human being”) +
kainos, “human novelty”]
- The proposed new epoch that describes man’s
advancement impacting the ecosystems worldwide,
and covers the advancement of digital technology
and the sudden increase in global temperatures due
to human-made climate change, resulting in a steady
decline of wildlife.

References:
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https://www.livescience.com/43354-precambrian-time.html
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Cadiz, A. P., Macasil, T. D., & Villanoy, F. M. (2018). Fundamentals in earth
science. Mindshapers, Co., Inc.
Donev, J.M.K.C., Sheardown, A. et al. (2019). Energy education - geologic time
scale. University of Calgary.
https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Geologic_time_scale.
Dubner, A. (2019). The earth’s known supercontinents. Ranker.
https://www.ranker.com/list/the-earth_s-known-
supercontinents/analise.dubner
Ghose, T. (2015). Mesozoic era: Age of the dinosaurs. LiveScience.
https://www.livescience.com/38596-mesozoic-era.html
Green, W. H. (2012). The history of life on earth - Crash course ecology #1 [Video
file]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjE-Pkjp3u4
Harper, D. (2019). Online etymology dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/
Olivar, J. T. II, Rodolfo, R. Ss., & Cabria, H. B. (2018). Exploring life through
science series: Earth science. Phoenix Publishing House.
Palaeos. (n.d.). The Archean eon. Author. http://palaeos.com/archean/index.html
Palaeos. (n.d.). The Hadean eon. Author. http://palaeos.com/hadean/hadean.html
Palaeos. (n.d.). The Proterozoic eon. Author.
http://palaeos.com/proterozoic/index.html
Pappas, S. (2013). Paleozoic era: Facts & information. LiveScience.
https://www.livescience.com/37584-paleozoic-era.html
University of California-Santa Barbara. (2020). We are studying about the
supercontinent Pangaea in science. The book we used mentioned there
was a previous supercontinent named Rodinia. Can you tell me anything
else about this? [Online forum post]. UCSB ScienceLine.
https://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=22
Woudloper. (2013). Hadean eon. Geology Page.
http://www.geologypage.com/2013/10/hadean-eon.html
Zimmermann, K. A. (2016). Cenozoic era: Facts about climate, animals & plants.
LiveScience. https://www.livescience.com/40352-cenozoic-era.html

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