Geological Eras and Major Life Developments on Earth Cartes | Quizlet

Precambrian

Earliest time in Earth's history, 4.6 billion years ago.

Hadean

4.6 to 3.8 billion years ago; Earth's formation stage.

Archaean

3.8 to 2.5 billion years ago; first life appeared.

Proterozoic

2.5 billion to 543 million years ago; complex life emerged.

Cambrian

543 to 490 million years ago; known for Cambrian Explosion.

Ordovician

490 to 443 million years ago; early vertebrates appeared.

Silurian

443 to 417 million years ago; coral reefs became widespread.

Devonian

417 to 354 million years ago; first amphibians and true plants.

Carboniferous

354 to 290 million years ago; shelled eggs appeared.

Permian

290 to 245 million years ago; Pangaea formed, mass extinction occurred.

Mesozoic Era

Age of dinosaurs, 245 to 65 million years ago.

Triassic

245 to 206 million years ago; dinosaurs began to dominate.

Jurassic

206 to 144 million years ago; largest dinosaurs thrived.

Cretaceous

144 to 65 million years ago; flowering plants evolved.

Cenozoic Era

Current era; known as the Age of Mammals.

Tertiary

65 to 1.8 million years ago; large mammals emerged.

Quaternary

1.8 million years ago to present; last Ice Age occurred.

Cambrian Explosion

Rapid diversification of life forms in Cambrian period.

Gondwana

A supercontinent during the Ordovician period.

Pangaea

Supercontinent formed during the Permian period.

Mass extinction

Significant loss of species, notably at the end of Permian.

Photosynthetic organisms

Produced oxygen, changing Earth's primitive atmosphere.

Fossil record

Preserved remains of organisms, crucial for studying evolution.

Crustal plates

First formed during Proterozoic, leading to plate tectonics.

Volcanoes

Common geological feature during Hadean period.

Dinosaurs

Dominant terrestrial vertebrates during Mesozoic Era.

Coral reefs

Widespread marine structures formed during Silurian.

Ice Age

Period of extensive glaciation during Quaternary.