GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE

OF EARTH’S HISTORY
During the 1800s, geologists and the naturalists found several
forms of physical evidence that confirmed that Earth is very old.

The evidence includes:

• Fossils of ancient sea life on dry land far from oceans, this
supported the idea that the Earth changed over time and
some dry land today was once covered by oceans.
• The many layers of rock allowed the people to realize that rock
layers represent the order in which rocks and fossils appeared,
thus they were able to trace the history of Earth and life on
Earth.
• The indications that volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and
erosion that happened long ago shaped much of the Earth’s
surface and supported the idea of an older Earth.
GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE
• The geologic time scale divides up the history of the earth based on life-forms that
have existed during specific times since the creation of the planet.
These divisions are called geochronologic units (geo: rock, chronology: time).
Most of these life-forms are found as fossils, which are the remains or traces of
an organism from the geologic past that has been preserved in sediment or
rock.

Without fossils, scientists may not have concluded that the earth has a history that
long precedes mankind.

While the units making up the time scale are called geochronologic units, the
actual rocks formed during those specific time intervals are called
chronostratigraphic units (chrono: time, stratigraphic from the word stratigraphy).
The actual rock record of a period is called a system, so rocks from the Cambrian
Period are of the Cambrian system.
GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE
• Geologic time scale was developed through the use of relative dating, and
specific date were applied to it via radiometric dating.
• Dating, in geology, is determining a chronology or calendar of events in the
history of Earth, using to a large degree the evidence of organic evolution in
the sedimentary rocks accumulated through geologic time in marine and
continental environments.

RELATIVE DATING is a scientific method of estimating the age of an object

without necessarily establishing its absolute age.
Relative dating determines the age of a rock by its depth from the ground.

RADIOMETRIC DATING refers to calculating the age of an object based on

present radioactive isotopes within it and the half-life.
Radioactive dating uses decaying materials by finding the radioactive isotopes
present.

Relative dating is based on other items found near the fossil, while Radiometric
dating is based on the fossil itself.
GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE
The Geologic Time Scale is divided by the following divisions:
 EONS: Longest subdivision; based on the abundance of certain
fossils
 ERAS: Next to longest subdivision; marked by major changes in
the fossil record
 Paleozoic (Time of Ancient Life)
 Mesozoic (Time of Middle Life)
 Cenozoic (Time of Recent Life)
 PERIODS: Based on types of life existing at the time
 EPOCHS: Shortest subdivision; marked by differences in life
forms and can vary from continent to continent.
GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE
The earliest time of the Earth is called the HADEAN and refers to a
period of time for which we have no rock record, and the ARCHEAN
followed, which corresponds to the ages of the oldest known rocks on
earth. These, with the PROTEROZOIC Eon are called the PRECAMBRIAN
EON.

Precambrian meaning the Time of Hidden Life.

The remainder of geologic time, including present day, belongs to the

PHANEROZOIC EON.
The solar system is about 4.6 billion years old. Life
on earth, probably began only between 3.5 and
4.0 billion years ago.
Evidences from fossil records show the
emergence of the different life forms. The
common ancestor of all life were prokaryotes or
prokaryotic cells.
The term prokaryote comes from the Greek (pro),
meaning "before" and (karyon) meaning "nut or
kernel".
Prokaryotes are unicellular organisms that lack a
membrane-bound nucleus, mitochondria, or any
other membrane-bound organelles.
Since, oxygen was scarce on the early Earth, so
the ancestral cell must also have been an
anaerobic.
 PRECAMBRIAN TIME
• About 4.6 billion years ago, when the Earth formed, to about 544 million years ago,
when abundant microscopic life appeared.
• Most of the rocks in this early part of Earth’s history have been extensively eroded
away, metamorphosed, obscured by overlying strata or recycled into the Earth’s
interior.
• The Earth’s earliest gases were hypothesized to be swept into space by solar wind. As
the planet slowly cooled, a more sustaining atmosphere was formed. Gases brought to
the surface by volcanic processes created both a primitive atmosphere and an ocean.
• The first atmosphere was rich in water vapor but very poor in free oxygen.
• The first simple organisms were plants. During mid-Precambrian, organisms such as
blue green algae (Cyanobacteria) developed a simple version of photosynthesis.
• Photosynthetic organisms require carbon dioxide to utilize the sun’s energy. They keep
the carbon dioxide and expel oxygen. With the release of free oxygen a primitive ozone
layer began to develop which reduced the amount of harmful ultraviolet radiation
reaching the Earth.
• There are some challenges encountered in searching for the evidence of
early life. Cells are microscopic and most have no parts to fossilize. The
tectonic plate movements have destroyed nearly all rocks older than
about 4 billion years, and most of the younger rocks have been heated or
undergone processes that destroy the traces of biological material.
• At present, the oldest cell microfossils (microscopic fossils) are filaments
from 3.5 billion-year-old rocks in Western Australia. The filaments resemble
chains of modern photosynthetic bacteria and the rocks in which they
occur are the remains of ancient stromatolites.
• The researchers look for biomarkers specific to eukaryotes. It is a
substance that occurs only or predominantly in cells of a specific type.
Eukaryotes are organisms having true nucleus. The DNA is enclosed within
the nucleus whereas DNA of most prokaryotes lies enclosed in the cell’s
cytoplasm. The first eukaryotes were protists.
PRECAMBRIAN TIME
• The most common Precambrian fossils are
stromatolites. These are not remains of
actual organisms, rather indirect piece of
evidence of algae.
• Many of the Precambrian fossils were
preserved in hard, dense chemical
sedimentary rock known as chert.
• Towards the end of this period, fossil
records revealed that diverse and complete
multi-celled organisms existed.
PRECAMBRIAN TIME
• 4.6 – 3.8 BYA - The early earth is said to be violent
because of the meteorites and volcanic eruptions.
With this condition, zircon crystal was formed.

• 3.5 BYA - Life on Earth initially began with prokaryotes,

discovered in sedimentary rock formations called
stromatolites.

• 3.0 BYA - The first photosynthetic organism thrived the

earth which is blue green algae called cyanobacteria.

• 2.0 BYA - Appearance of the first eukaryotes and the

influx of multicellular organisms occurred 1.2 billion
years ago.
PALEOZOIC ERA
• Began about 544 million years ago and lasted about 300 million years
• Sea levels rose and fell worldwide, allowing shallow seas to cover the
continents and marine life to flourish – from marine invertebrates to fishes,
amphibians and reptiles.
• 500 MYA - The Paleozoic era when the trilobites and cephalopods became
dominant in the ocean particularly during the Cambrian and Ordovician.

The Paleozoic era is divided into six major periods:

1. Cambrian
2. Ordovician
3. Silurian
4. Devonian
5. Carboniferous
6. Permian
• CAMBRIAN PERIOD
Almost all marine organisms came into existence as
evidenced by abundant fossils. A most important event is
the development of organisms having the ability to secret
calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate for the
formation of shells.
• ORDOVICIAN PERIOD
All major groups of animals that could be preserved as
fossils had appeared. This period marks the earliest
appearance of vertebrates – this jawless fish known as the
agnatha.
• SILURIAN PERIOD
The Silurian brough about the emergence of terrestrial life, the earliest
being the terrestrial plants with well-developed circulatory system
(vascular plants).
As plants move ashore so did other terrestrial organisms.
Air-breathing scorpions and millipedes were common during the
period.
• DEVONIAN PERIOD

This period is known as the “Age of Fishes”.

Lowland forests of seed ferns, scale trees and true ferns flourished.
Sharks and bony fishes developed.

The fist amphibians made their appearance, although able to live on

land, they need to return to water to lay their eggs.
• CARBONIFEROUS PERIOD

Warm, moist climate conditions contributed to

lash vegetation and dense swampy forests.
Insects under rapid evolution led to such
diverse forms of giant cockroaches and
dragonflies.

The evolution of the first reptiles took place

with the development of the amniotic egg, a
porous shell containing a membrane that
provided an environment for an embryo.
• PERMIAN PERIOD
The reptiles were well-suited to their environment that they ruled
Earth for 200 million years.
The two major groups of reptiles – diapsids and synapsids
dominated this period.
• Diapsids gave rise to the dinosaurs.
• Synapsids gave rise to mammals.
MESOZOIC ERA
• Known as the Age of Reptiles (251 – 65.5 MYA)
• Made up of three periods:
• Triassic
• Jurassic
• Creataceous
• The most significant event was the rise of the dinosaurs.
• True pines and redwoods appeared and rapidly spread.
• Flowering plants (Angiosperms) arose and their emergence
accelerated the evolution of insects.
• A major event of this era was the breakup of Pangaea.
• By the end of this period, the dinosaurs and some reptiles were
completely wiped out.
CENOZOIC ERA
• 250 TYA – This era is known as the “Age of Mammals” because mammals
replaced reptiles as the dominant land animal.
• It is also sometimes called “Age of Flowering plants” because angiosperms
replaced gymnosperms as the dominant land plants.
• Cenozoic era is made up of two periods:
• Tertiary: Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene
• Quaternary: Pleistocene and Holocene
• This era also brough about the advent of humans. Homo erectus have
evolved.
• Climates cooled during this era, hence the widespread glaciation.
• The lowered sea level resulted in the “land bridges” connections between land
masses. One of these land bridges provided the route for the human migration
from Asia to North America, also throughout the world.
In Summary:

• Hadean: Early Earth Development

• Archean: Period of Appearance of first prokaryotes

• Proterozoic Eon: Period of appearance of the first eukaryote

• Paleozoic era: Dominance of appearance of trilobites

• Mesozoic era: Dominance of dinosaurs

• Cenozoic era: Recent Life

Scientific Word Bank
1. Geological
2. Time Scale
3. Fossil
4. Stratigraphy
5. Radioactive
6. Isotopes
7. Cephalopods
8. Angiosperm
9. Gymnosperm
10. Glaciation