Objective

To be able to describe how

the Earth’s history can be
interpreted from the geologic
time scale.
 What is Geologic Time Scale?

Is a record of the
life forms and
geologic events in
earth’s history.
 Geologic columns has
subdivisions assigned
namely :
1.Eons
2.Eras
3.Periods
4.Epochs
 Eons – represent the longest
amount of time.
Two main eons in the history of
the Earth
1. Precambrian eon
a. Hadean eon
b. Archean eon
c. Proterozoic eon
2. Phanerozoic eon – eon that
humans are a part of.
The most recent eon where
almost all of the records
that are used to describe
the history of the earth are
found.
 Three Eras under Phanerozoic Eon

1.Paleozoic era or the Era of

Old life
2.Mesozoic era or the Age of
Reptiles
3.Cenozoic era or Era of
Recent Life or the Age of
Mammals
 Eons are followed by eras.
 The end of an era is marked by a
change in life form on Earth.
 These eras are further divided into
periods that are characterized by a
less profound change in life forms.
 And finally, the epochs – the
smallest unit in the geologic time
scale.
The names in the
subdivisions were based
on the rock types that
characterize them of the
location were the rocks
were first described.
 Example

Creataceous – derived
from the word “creta”
meaning chalk since
during that period there
is excessive deposits of
biogenic sedimentary
rock chalk.
 Example

Pennsylvanian period -
which was named after
the state of
Pennsylvania where
most rocks of the same
age are widespread.
Cyanobacteria – earliest
evidence of life on Earth
that have been present
during the Archean eon.
 1. Paleozoic Era: Era of Old Life

From a word “paleo” means

old or ancient and “zoic” means
life.
It lasted from 542 million
years ago to 251 million years
ago.
 Further divided into seven periods
1. Cambrian
2. Ordovician
3. Silurian
4. Devonian
5. Mississippian
6. Pennsylvanian
7. Permian
During Cambrian and
Ordovician – it has also
been known as the “age
of Invertebrates” since
invertebrates dominates
the sea.
The Silurian and
Devonian period
became the “age of
Fishes” since fishes
became the dominant
creatures of the sea.
During Devonian
period – signs of the
first amphibians and
seed plants have been
found.
The Mississippian and
Pennsylvanian periods also known
as “carboniferous period”.
During this period, Earth had the
highest amounts of atmospheric
oxygen.
Amphibians were also the
dominant species.
By the end of the
Permian period –
animals are mostly
amphibians and reptiles
and plants are mostly
conifers.
The end of Paleozoic era was
marked by a mass extinction and
scientists inferred that it may have
been caused by the changing sea
level.
In terms of land formation,
Paleozoic era is marked by the
formation of the supercontinent
Pangaea.
 2. Mesozoic Era : The Age of Reptiles
About 251 million years ago is the
Mesozoic era. Reptiles are the
dominant organisms and dinosaurs are
the most famous of them all.
Divided into three periods:
1. Triassic-Pangaea was still present
2. Jurassic-breaking apart(Laurasia &
Gondwanaland)
3. Cretaceous-formation of modern
ocean basins.
3. Cenozoic Era : Era of Recent
Life/The age of mammals
Started from 65.5 million years
ago and still continues on until
today.
It represents the smallest time
compared to Paleozoic and
Mesozoic.
Mammals become the dominant
species.
Also during this era, features
of the modern world came
into existence.
This era also has the most
extensive records since rock
formations are less disturbed
compared to the other eras.
GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE
OF THE EARTH’S
HISTORY
 4.6 TO 3.8 billion years ago

Formation of earth’s Crust

and Ocean
Debris from the forming
solar system crashed into
the early Earth, keeping
its surface burning hot.
 3.5 billion years ago

Oldest Geological Evidence of Life

Appears that life on Earth may have
existed during its boisterous first
billion years.
Stromatolites – a sedimentary rock
formation.
A strong pieces of evidence that the
first microbes might have existed
during this time.
 3.0 billion years ago

Propagation of Cyanobacteria
Ancestors of the modern
blue green algae may have
thrived. Photosynthesis
allowed these primitive
cyanobacteria to start
converting light energy to
chemical energy.
 2.0 billion years ago
Appearance of the First
Eukaryotes
Geologic evidence points
out that life was only
composed of prokaryotes
until around 2.0 billion
years ago.
 1.2 billion years ago

Influx of Multicellular Organisms

It was believed that multicellularity
occurred several times..
It was a product of the symbiotic
relationship between cells of similar
or different species that eventually
led to interdependency among
organisms.
 500 million years ago

The Cambrian Explosion

Fossil records showed evidence
that there was a drastic
increase in the diversity of
complex faunal species during a
relatively short time span. The
so called Cambrian explosion
took place that cause major
animal phyla to appear.
 200 thousand years ago

Arrival of Modern Human

Paleontological evidence
suggest that modern human
might have evolved from
Homo Erectus
approximately 250 thousand
years ago.