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    (6.1) Major Events in Earth's Past

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    Sheena Sesuca
    The document summarizes major events in Earth's geologic past from its formation 4.6 billion years ago to present day. It describes the Eons and Eras that make up the geologic time scale, including the Precambrian/Cryptozoic Era representing the first 80% of Earth's history without visible life. Key events discussed include the emergence of oxygen producing photosynthetic organisms, multicellular life, and the diversification of life forms through the Phanerozoic Eon leading to modern humans.

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    (6.1) Major Events in Earth's Past

    Uploaded by

    Sheena Sesuca
    719 views21 pages
    The document summarizes major events in Earth's geologic past from its formation 4.6 billion years ago to present day. It describes the Eons and Eras that make up the geologic time scale, including the Precambrian/Cryptozoic Era representing the first 80% of Earth's history without visible life. Key events discussed include the emergence of oxygen producing photosynthetic organisms, multicellular life, and the diversification of life forms through the Phanerozoic Eon leading to modern humans.

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    Here are some information about the Earth's past

    Original Title

    (6.1) Major Events in Earth’s Past

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    The document summarizes major events in Earth's geologic past from its formation 4.6 billion years ago to present day. It describes the Eons and Eras that make up the geologic time scale, including the Precambrian/Cryptozoic Era representing the first 80% of Earth's history without visible life. Key events discussed include the emergence of oxygen producing photosynthetic organisms, multicellular life, and the diversification of life forms through the Phanerozoic Eon leading to modern humans.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    719 views21 pages

    (6.1) Major Events in Earth's Past

    Uploaded by

    Sheena Sesuca
    The document summarizes major events in Earth's geologic past from its formation 4.6 billion years ago to present day. It describes the Eons and Eras that make up the geologic time scale, including the Precambrian/Cryptozoic Era representing the first 80% of Earth's history without visible life. Key events discussed include the emergence of oxygen producing photosynthetic organisms, multicellular life, and the diversification of life forms through the Phanerozoic Eon leading to modern humans.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 21

    MAJOR EVENTS IN EARTH’S

    PAST
    GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE
    AGE OF THE EARTH

    • 4.6 billion years


    • Based from the radioactive isotope
    dating of meteorites
    • The oldest dated rock from Earth is only 3.8
    billion years old. Why?
    TERMS TO KNOW:

    • Biostratigraphy- a sub-discipline of
    stratigraphy, which deals with the use of
    fossils in the correlation and establishments
    of relative ages of rocks
    • Index fossils- are marker fossils used to
    define periods of geologic time
    -are disctinctive, widespread and have
    limited geologic time range
    ROCK AND FOSSILS
    • The history of the Earth is recorded in rocks,
    but inherently incomplete
    • The fossils are preserved in rocks
    • The fossil record provides scientists with one
    of the most compelling evidence for Charles
    Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
    ROCKS, FOSSILS,
    AND THE
    GEOLOGIC TIME
    SCALE
    ROCKS AND TIME
    • One of the first to recognize the
    correspondence between rocks and time is
    Nicholas Steno wherein principles:
    • Superposition;
    • Original horizontality; and
    • Lateral continuity
    became the foundation of stratigraphy.
    ROCK RECORD
    • Correct succession of rocks was first established
    • Initially done using relative dating techniques
    • Using the principle of superposition, Abraham
    Gottlob Werner divided the rock record into
    the following rock-time units:
    • 1◦, 2◦, 3◦ and 4◦
    USE OF FOSSILS
    • William “Strata” Smith observed that each
    layer or strata of sedimentary rock contains
    a distinct assemblage of fossils (his way of
    identifying rock layers through fossils)

    • He also observed that the fossils succeed


    each other vertically in a definite order.
    USE OF FOSSILS
    • Charles Lyell recognized the utility of fossils in
    subdividing geologic time on the basis of
    fossils
    • He was able to subdivide the tertiary (3◦) by
    examining the proportion of living vs. extinct
    fossils in the rocks
    MAJOR EVENTS IN EARTH’S
    PAST
    Modern humans
    emerged during the
    last ~200,000 years

    We are relatively
    ‘new’ to the Earth,
    yet our impact to
    the Earth system has
    already been
    profound.
    EVENTS:
    1. Precambrian or 7. Mesozoic Era
    Cryptozoic Era 8. Cenozoic Era
    2. Hadean Eon
    3. Archean Eon These are expressed in
    4. Proterozoic Eon Ma (Mega-annum, or
    5. Phanerozoic Eon a million years)
    6. Paleozoic Era
    PRECAMBRIAN/CRYPTOZOIC ERA
    • 4.6 Ga-540 Ma
    • Represents 80% of the Earth’s history
    • AKA the eon of “hidden life” due to obscure
    fossil records
    HADEAN EON
    • 4.56-3.8 Ga
    • From Haedes, Greek god of the underworld
    • Chaotic time due to meteorite
    bombardment
    • Reducing Atmosphere (CH4, NH3 and CO2)
    • Start of the hydrologic cycle and the
    formation of oceans
    ARCHEAN EON
    • 3.8-2.5 Ga
    • Anaerobic eon
    • No ozone
    • Photosynthetic prokaryotes (blue green
    algae) emerged and started releasing O2
    • At 2.7 Ga—Eukaryotes emerged
    PROTEROZOIC ERA
    • Oxygen level reaches ~3% of the
    atmosphere
    • Rise of multicellular organisms represented
    by the Vendian (single celled algae who
    went extinct at 543 Ma) fauna
    • Formation of the protective ozone layer
    PHANEROZOIC EON
    • 540 Ma-present
    • Eon of visible life
    • Diversification of life
    PALEOZOIC ERA

    • 540-245 Ma
    • Age of ancient life; Cambrian (reef builders)
    explosion
    • Dominance of marine invertebrates
    • 500 Ma- Gondwana forms; 280 Ma- formation
    of Pangaea
    • Plants colonize land by 480 Ma, Animals by 450
    Ma
    MESOZOIC ERA
    • 245-65 Ma
    • Age of reptiles; Dominance of reptiles and
    dinosaurs; Early mammals at 220 Ma, First
    birds at 150 Ma, and first flowering plants at
    130 Ma
    • Pangaea starts to break apart by 200 Ma
    • End of the Cretaceous (65 Ma)
    CENOZOIC ERA
    • Age of mammals
    • Emergence of early primates at 60 Ma;
    Continents at near present-day conditions at
    40 Ma
    • First hominids at 5.2 Ma; modern humans at
    0.2 Ma; and Ice age begin at 2 Ma
    • The initiation of the Philippine fault at 4 Ma
    VIDEO CLIP: HISTORY OF THE EARTH IN
    5 ½ MINUTES

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