4.6 GA PRECAMBRIAN SUPEREON (4 G) HADEAN EON + (800 M) 4.57 GA Origin
of Earth and solar system (Sun)
4.533 GA "Big
Splash" Giant Impact Hypothesis -
Mars-size "Theia" hits Earth - creates the Moon? 4.5 GA Origin of
life on Earth 4 GA Origin
of life in reducing atmosphere 3.8 GA ARCHAEAN EON (1.3 G) EOARCHAEAN ERA (200 M) Isua
greenstone belt forms - oldest surviving
rock formation on Earth 3.6 GA PALEOARCHAEAN ERA (400 M) Oldest
"ascertained life form" 3.2 GA MESOARCHAEAN
ERA (400 M) 2.8 GA NEOARCHAEAN
ERA (300 M) 2.5 GA PROTEROZOIC2.5 EON (2 G) (-542 MA) PALEOPROTEROZOIC ERA (900 M)
(-1.6 GA) SIDERIAN2.5 PERIOD (200 M) (2.5-2.3
GA) Cyanobacteria
evolution - uses photosynthetic process to produce energy and oxygen Photosynthetic
oxygen permitted first global oxidation of iron ores
Colliding
Archaen cratons 2.4 GA OXYGEN
CATASTROPHE - THE GREAT OXIDATION Huronian
Glaciation (-2.1GA) 2.3 GA RHYACIAN
PERIOD (250
M)
(2.3-2.05
GA) Bushveld
Complex - in South Africa 2.1 GA Huronian
Glaciation ends 2.05 GA OROSIRIAN PERIOD (250 M) (2.05-1.8
GA)Earth's
atmosphere turns oxygen rich due to cyanobacteria 2.023 GA Vredefort
Impact Event - largest impact crater on
earth in South Africa (300km dia) 1.85 GA Sudbury
Basin Impact Event - 2nd largest impact
crater (250km dia) on earth - 10km bolide 1.8 GA STATHERIAN PERIOD1.8 (200 M) (1.8-1.6
GA) Much
of present day Greenland, central Canada, and north central US form a large
craton New
platforms on most continents Final
cratonization of fold belts Columbia
Supercontinent forms at the beginning of Statherian First complex single celled life appears 1.6 GA MESOPROTEROZOIC ERA (600 M) (1.6-1
GA) CALYMMIAN
PERIOD (200
M)
(1.6-1.4
GA) 1.5 GA Expansion
of existing platform covers New
platforms form on recently cratonized basements Columbia
Supercontinent breaḱ 1.4 GA ECTASIAN
PERIOD (200 M)
(1.4-1.2 GA) 1.2 GA STENIAN
PERIOD (200 M)
(1.2-1 GA) 1.1 GA Rodinia Supercontinent forms 1 GA NEOPROTEROZOIC
ERA (458 M) (1G-542 MA) TONIAN
PERIOD (150 M)
(1 G-850 MA) First
radiation of acritarchs begin Events
leading to the breakup of Rodinia begin during this period 850 MA CRYOGENIAN PERIOD (215 M) (850-635
MA)Snowball
Earth Hypothesis/Slushball Earth Hypothesis
750 MA
Rodinia
drifts apart into three continents - Protolaurasia, continental craton of
Congo, and Proto-Gondwana 700 MA Great
"Eocambrian Ice Age" 635 MA EDIACARAN
PERIOD (95 M)
(635-542
MA) HOME Origins of the Universe (13.7GA-4.6GA) Pre-Cambrian Super Eon (4.6GA-542MA)
Cambrian Period (542MA-488.3MA)History Timeline Index