Geological Time Scale



Eras Periods Epochs/Series Life on Earth
C
E
N
O
Z
O
I
C
Quaternary
1.8 mya to Present
Recent/Holocene
Pleistocene
Rise and Dominance of
Man
Tertiary
65-1.8 mya
Pliocene Modern Plants and
Animals Flurish

Rapid Development of
Mammals, Insects,
and Plants
Miocene
Oligocene
Eocene
Paleocene
M
E
S
O
Z
O
I
C
Cretaceous
146-65 mya
Gulfian


Comanchean

Coalhuilan
Mass Extinction
Deccan Traps, India
Flood Basal Event

Last of the Great Dinosaurs
Last Ammonites

Rise of Flowering Plants
Modern Insects Radiate
Jurassic
208-146 mya
Upper Jurassic

Middle Jurassic

Liassic
Large Dinosaurs Roam
the Earth
Dinosaurs Radiate and
Diversify
Birds Appear
Small Mammals
Triassic
245-208 mya
Upper Triassic

Middle Triassic
Sythian
The First Dinosaurs

Cycad-like Plants
Appearence of Marine Reptiles
Crocodiles, Turtles

P
A
L
E
O
Z
O
I
C
Permian
287-245 mya
Upper Permian

Lower Permian
Greatest Mass Extinction
Siberian Traps-
Mass Basal Event
Rise of Reptiles
Advancced Mammals
C
A
R
B
O
N
I
F
E
R
O
U
S
Pennsylvanian
325-287 mya
Upper Pennsylvanian
Middle Pennsylvanian
Morrowan
Modern Insects Develope
The Great Coal Deposites

Primitive Conifers, Seed Ferns
Mississippian
354-325 mya
Chesterian

Meramecian
Osagian
Kinderhookian
Plants Flurish on Land
Crinoids Build Massive Limestones
Reptiles appear
Primitive Ammonites
Devonian
417-354 mya
Chautauquan
Senecan

Erian
Ulsterian
Climax of Brachiopods
First Amphibians
First Land Snails
Insects Appear
Earliest seed plants
Widespread Coral Reefs
Silurian
443-417 mya
Cayugan
Niagarian
Alexandrian
Vascular plants appear
Primitive terrestrial predators
Jawed fish Appear
Ordovician
490-443 mya
Cincinnatian

Champlainian

Canadian
Climax of Trilobites
First Fish Appear

First Land Plants Appear
Bryzoans Appear
Cambrian
542-490 mya
Croxian

Albertan

Waucoban
Trilobites Dominate
Marine Invertebrates Flurish
and Diversify
All Phylum Appear in Fossil
Record except Bryzoans
Proterozoic

Archeozoic
Marine Invertebrates Appear

First Signs of Life

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