Jefferson Forest High School



Geologic Time ChartUse the prompts below to complete the geologic time chart then answer the accompanying questions.Each time period is marked by a particular distinction. Describe what that defining characteristic is and use one example from above to illustrate your point.How do major geologic events affect biodiversity?Assuming that it takes approximately 1,000 years to form 1” of top soil, how did geologic events affect the growth of plants in that time period?Era DesignationsPeriod and Epoch DesignationsFossilsGeologic EventsAge of InvertebratesAge of AmmonitesDinosaurs and mammals first appearAlps and Himalayas form, Columbia PlateauAge of MammalsAge of AmphibiansExplosion of invertebrate formsAppalachian Mountains form, cool climateAge of ReptilesAge of Ancient LifeFirst humanoids evolve, mega faunaContinents merge into a supercontinent, RodiniaAge of DinosaursFish and fungus first appearEarliest Recorded life, biological evolution beginsAge of Eurypterids (Sea Scorpians)Fish dominate, first amphibians and trees appearFormation of the Earth, chemical evolution beginsAge of FishesFormation of coal swamps and limestone depositsGlobal shallow seas, warm climateAge of GraptolitesHuman civilization dominatesGreat Lakes Form, WisconAge of MammalsInvertebrates dominate, first land plants and insects appearIce AgeAge of ManK-T extinction (75%), first flowering plantsLandmasses flatAge of StomatolitesLargest mass extinction, amphibians dominateMeteorite impacts Earth’s surface, Rocky Mountains formAge of TrilobitesMammals dominate, modern birds appearOxygen builds up in the atmosphereCoal AgeReptiles dominate, first birds appearPangaea breaks apartIce AgePangaea formsThe Rockless EonRodinia breaks apart, Burgess Shale formsShallow sea through North AmericaSouthern glaciations, shallow North American seas *mya = million years agoEONERAPERIODEPOCHFOSSIL DOMINANCEGEOLOGIC EVENTPhanerozoic “Age of Visible Life”Cenozoic“Age of Mammels” Quarternary (1.6 mya)Holocene (10,000 y)“The Age of Man”Human Civilization DominatesGreat Lakes Form, Wisconsin GlaciationPleistocene (1.6 mya)“Ice Age”First humanoids evolve, mega faunaIce AgeTertiary (65 mya)“Age of Mammels”Mammals dominate, modern birds appearAlps & Himalayas form, Columbia PlateauMesozoic“Age of Reptiles”Cretaceous (145 mya)“Age of Dinosaurs”K-T extinction (75%)First flowering plantsMeteorite impacts Earth’s surface, Rocky Mountains formJurassic (200 mya)“Age of Reptiles”Reptiles dominate, first birds appearTriassic (251 mya)“Age of Ammonites”Dinosaurs and mammals first appearPangea Breaks apartPaleozoic“Age of Invertebrates”Permian (300 mya)“Age of Amphibians”Largest mass extinction, amphibians dominatePangea FormsCarboniferous (355 mya)“Coal Age”Pennsylvanian (314 mya)Formation of coal swamps and limestone depositsSouthern Glaciation, shallow North American seasMississippian (355 mya)Devonian (418 mya)“Age of Fishes”Fish dominate, first amphibians and trees appearAppalachian Mountains form, cool climateSilurian (441 mya)“Age of Eurypterids”Invertebrates dominate, first land plants and insects appearAll land masses are generally flatOrdovician (490 mya)“Age of Graptolites”First fish and fungus appearGlobal shallow seas, warm climateCambrian (544 mya)“Age of Trilobites”Rhodinia breaks apart, Burgess Shale formsPrecambrianProterozoic (2500 mya)“Age of Stromatolites”Continents merge into a supercontinent, Rhodinia, Oxygen builds up in the atmosphereArcheozoic (4000 mya)“Age of Ancient Life”Earliest recorded life, biological evolution beginsHadean (4600 mya)“The Rockless Eon”Formation of the Earth, chemical evolution begins ................
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