The Phanerozoic Eon is a part of geological time that begins about 542 million years ago and continues to the present. Compared to its predecessor (part of the geological history of the planet, including such eons as ,), the Phanerozoic is famous for its abundance of worlds.

Eras and periods

The Phanerozoic is divided into three eras, which in turn consist of periods:

Palaeozoic

Mesozoic era

Cenozoic era

Geography

During the Phanerozoic, the continents drifted and eventually came together into a single supercontinent known as Pangea, and then split into the current parts of the world.

Some scientists believe that the Phanerozoic Eon began shortly after the breakup of a hypothetical supercontinent at the end of the global ice age. During the early Paleozoic era, there were a significant number of relatively small continents. By the end of the Paleozoic, the continents came together to form the supercontinent Pangea, which included most of the Earth's landmass.

The Mesozoic era was characterized by the dramatic division of Pangea into the northern continent of Laurasia and the southern continent of Gondwana. By the end of the era, the continents had practically acquired their current form. Laurasia became North America and Eurasia, and Gondwana split into South America, Africa, Australia, Antarctica and the Indian subcontinent.

The Cenozoic Era is the geological time interval during which the continents occupied their current positions. Australia and New Guinea broke away from Gondwana. Antarctica is located above the South Pole. The Atlantic Ocean expanded, and a little later South America joined North America.

Climate

During the Phanerozoic eon, the Earth's climate varied between conditions that supported global continental glaciation and fairly tropical ones, lacking permanent ice caps even at the poles. The difference in global average temperatures between fully glacial and ice-free periods is estimated to be around 10ºC, although much larger changes were observed at high latitudes and smaller ones at low latitudes.

The evolution of CO2-absorbing (and oxygen-producing) organisms in the Precambrian led to the creation of the atmosphere we have today, although for most of the Phanerozoic it had CO2 levels much higher than today. Likewise, the Earth's average temperature was often higher than it is today.

Life

Before the Paleozoic period there was no atmosphere like there is today. When the amount of oxygen began to increase, the ozone layer formed. At high altitudes, oxygen molecules are destroyed by ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. These oxygen molecules combine together to create ozone.

A thick layer of ozone exists at an altitude of 15 to 35 kilometers. This layer ensures that harmful radiation from the sun does not reach the surface of the earth. The thicker the ozone layer, the less dangerous ultraviolet radiation reaches the Earth. Before this protective function evolved, animals primarily used . Consequently, the flora and fauna of the Phanerozoic were able to colonize the land. Early plants grew on land in the Silurian (about 430 million years ago). These were vascular plants such as ferns. Several species arose very quickly.

They appeared in the Devonian, and reptiles appeared in the Carboniferous period. At the boundary of the Triassic and Jurassic (200 million years ago), mammals and, finally, birds first appeared. Mammals became the dominant animals after the extinction of dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period (66 million years ago).

Life on Earth began over 3.5 billion years ago, immediately after the completion of the formation of the earth's crust. Throughout time, the emergence and development of living organisms influenced the formation of relief and climate. Also, tectonic and climatic changes that occurred over many years influenced the development of life on Earth.

A table of the development of life on Earth can be compiled based on the chronology of events. The entire history of the Earth can be divided into certain stages. The largest of them are eras of life. They are divided into eras, eras into epochs, epochs into centuries.

Eras of life on Earth

The entire period of the existence of life on Earth can be divided into 2 periods: the Precambrian, or cryptozoic (primary period, 3.6 to 0.6 billion years), and the Phanerozoic.

The Cryptozoic includes the Archean (ancient life) and Proterozoic (primary life) eras.

The Phanerozoic includes the Paleozoic (ancient life), Mesozoic (middle life) and Cenozoic (new life) eras.

These 2 periods of life development are usually divided into smaller ones - eras. The boundaries between eras are global evolutionary events, extinctions. In turn, eras are divided into periods, and periods into epochs. The history of the development of life on Earth is directly related to changes in the earth’s crust and the planet’s climate.

Eras of development, countdown

The most significant events are usually identified in special time intervals - eras. Time is counted down in reverse order, from ancient life to modern life. There are 5 eras:

1. Archean.
2. Proterozoic.
3. Paleozoic.
4. Mesozoic.
5. Cenozoic.

Periods of development of life on Earth

The Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras include periods of development. These are smaller periods of time compared to eras.

Palaeozoic:

• Cambrian (Cambrian).
• Ordovician.
• Silurian (Silurian).
• Devonian (Devonian).
• Carboniferous (carbon).
• Perm (Perm).

Mesozoic era:

• Triassic (Triassic).
• Jurassic (Jurassic).
• Cretaceous (chalk).

Cenozoic era:

• Lower Tertiary (Paleogene).
• Upper Tertiary (Neogene).
• Quaternary, or Anthropocene (human development).

The first 2 periods are included in the Tertiary period lasting 59 million years.

Development of living organisms

The table of the development of life on Earth involves division not only into time periods, but also into certain stages of the formation of living organisms, possible climate changes (ice age, global warming).

• Archean era. The most significant changes in the evolution of living organisms are the appearance of blue-green algae - prokaryotes capable of reproduction and photosynthesis, and the emergence of multicellular organisms. The appearance of living protein substances (heterotrophs) capable of absorbing organic substances dissolved in water. Subsequently, the appearance of these living organisms made it possible to divide the world into plant and animal.

• Mesozoic era.

• Triassic. Distribution of plants (gymnosperms). Increase in the number of reptiles. The first mammals, bony fish.
• Jurassic period. The predominance of gymnosperms, the emergence of angiosperms. The appearance of the first bird, the flourishing of cephalopods.
• Cretaceous period. Distribution of angiosperms, decline of other plant species. Development of bony fishes, mammals and birds.

• Cenozoic era.
  • Lower Tertiary period (Paleogene). The rise of angiosperms. Development of insects and mammals, appearance of lemurs, later primates.
  • Upper Tertiary period (Neogene). The formation of modern plants. The appearance of human ancestors.
  • Quaternary period (Anthropocene). Formation of modern plants and animals. The appearance of man.

Development of inanimate conditions, climate change

The table of the development of life on Earth cannot be presented without data on changes in inanimate nature. The emergence and development of life on Earth, new species of plants and animals, all this is accompanied by changes in inanimate nature and climate.

Climate Change: Archean Era

The history of the development of life on Earth began through the stage of the predominance of land over water resources. The relief was poorly outlined. The atmosphere is dominated by carbon dioxide, the amount of oxygen is minimal. Shallow waters have low salinity.

The Archean era is characterized by volcanic eruptions, lightning, and black clouds. The rocks are rich in graphite.

Climatic changes in the Proterozoic era

The land is a rocky desert; all living organisms live in water. Oxygen accumulates in the atmosphere.

Climate Change: Paleozoic Era

During various periods of the Paleozoic era the following occurred:

• Cambrian period. The land is still deserted. The climate is hot.
• Ordovician period. The most significant changes are the flooding of almost all northern platforms.
• Silurian. Tectonic changes and conditions of inanimate nature are varied. Mountain formation occurs and the seas dominate the land. Areas of different climates, including areas of cooling, have been identified.
• Devonian. The climate is dry and continental. Formation of intermountain depressions.
• Carboniferous period. Subsidence of continents, wetlands. The climate is warm and humid, with a lot of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• Permian period. Hot climate, volcanic activity, mountain building, drying out of swamps.

During the Paleozoic era, mountains were formed. Such changes in relief affected the world's oceans - sea basins were reduced, and a significant land area was formed.

The Paleozoic era marked the beginning of almost all major oil and coal deposits.

Climatic changes in the Mesozoic

The climate of different periods of the Mesozoic is characterized by the following features:

• Triassic. Volcanic activity, climate is sharply continental, warm.
• Jurassic period. Mild and warm climate. The seas dominate the land.
• Cretaceous period. Retreat of the seas from the land. The climate is warm, but at the end of the period global warming gives way to cooling.

In the Mesozoic era, previously formed mountain systems are destroyed, the plains go under water (Western Siberia). In the second half of the era, the Cordillera, the mountains of Eastern Siberia, Indochina, and partly Tibet were formed, and the mountains of Mesozoic folding were formed. The prevailing climate is hot and humid, promoting the formation of swamps and peat bogs.

Climate Change - Cenozoic Era

During the Cenozoic era, a general rise of the Earth's surface occurred. The climate has changed. Numerous glaciations of the earth's surfaces advancing from the north changed the appearance of the continents of the Northern Hemisphere. Thanks to such changes, the hilly plains were formed.

• Lower Tertiary period. Mild climate. Division into 3 climatic zones. Formation of continents.
• Upper Tertiary period. Dry climate. The emergence of steppes and savannas.
• Quaternary period. Multiple glaciations of the northern hemisphere. Cooling climate.

All changes during the development of life on Earth can be written down in the form of a table that will reflect the most significant stages in the formation and development of the modern world. Despite the already known research methods, even now scientists continue to study history, making new discoveries that allow modern society to learn how life developed on Earth before the advent of man.

is the totality of all forms of the earth's surface. They can be horizontal, inclined, convex, concave, complex.

The difference in altitude between the highest peak on land, Mount Qomolungma in the Himalayas (8848 m), and the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean (11,022 m) is 19,870 m.

How was the topography of our planet formed? In the history of the Earth, there are two main stages of its formation:

• planetary(5.5-5.0 million years ago), which ended with the formation of the planet, the formation of the Earth’s core and mantle;
• geological, which began 4.5 million years ago and continues to this day. It was at this stage that the formation of the earth's crust occurred.

The source of information about the development of the Earth during the geological stage is primarily sedimentary rocks, which in the vast majority were formed in an aquatic environment and therefore lie in layers. The deeper the layer lies from the earth’s surface, the earlier it was formed and, therefore, is more ancient in relation to any layer that is located closer to the surface and is younger. The concept is based on this simple reasoning relative age of rocks, which formed the basis for the construction geochronological table(Table 1).

The longest time intervals in geochronology are zones(from Greek aion - century, era). The following zones are distinguished: cryptozoic(from Greek cryptos - hidden and zoe- life), covering the entire Precambrian, in the sediments of which there are no remains of skeletal fauna; Phanerozoic(from Greek phaneros - obvious, zoe - life) - from the beginning of the Cambrian to the present time, with rich organic life, including skeletal fauna. The zones are not equivalent in duration; for example, if the Cryptozoic lasted 3-5 billion years, then the Phanerozoic lasted 0.57 billion years.

Table 1. Geochronological table

Zones are divided into era. In cryptozoic they distinguish Archean(from Greek archaios- primordial, ancient, aion - century, epoch) and Proterozoic(from Greek proteros - earlier, zoe - life) era; in the Phanerozoic - Paleozoic(from Greek ancient and life), Mesozoic(from Greek tesos - middle, zoe - life) and Cenozoic(from Greek kainos - new, zoe - life).

Eras are divided into shorter periods of time - periods, established only for the Phanerozoic (see Table 1).

Main stages of development of the geographical envelope

The geographical envelope has gone through a long and difficult path of development. In all development, three qualitatively different stages are distinguished: prebiogenic, biogenic, anthropogenic.

Prebiogenic stage(4 billion - 570 million years) - the longest period. At this time, there was a process of increasing the thickness and complication of the composition of the earth's crust. By the end of the Archean (2.6 billion years ago), continental crust with a thickness of about 30 km had already formed over vast areas, and in the early Proterozoic the separation of protoplatforms and protogeosynclines occurred. During this period, the hydrosphere already existed, but the volume of water in it was less than now. Of the oceans (and only towards the end of the Early Proterozoic) one took shape. The water in it was salty and the salinity level was most likely about the same as it is now. But, apparently, in the waters of the ancient ocean the predominance of sodium over potassium was even greater than now; there were also more magnesium ions, which is associated with the composition of the primary earth's crust, the weathering products of which were carried into the ocean.

The Earth's atmosphere at this stage of development contained very little oxygen, and there was no ozone shield.

Life most likely existed from the very beginning of this stage. According to indirect data, microorganisms lived already 3.8-3.9 billion years ago. The discovered remains of simple organisms are 3.5-3.6 billion years old. However, organic life from the moment of its origin until the very end of the Proterozoic did not play a leading, determining role in the development of the geographical envelope. In addition, many scientists deny the presence of organic life on land at this stage.

The evolution of organic life into the prebiogenic stage was slow, but nevertheless, 650-570 million years ago, life in the oceans was quite rich.

Biogenic stage(570 million - 40 thousand years ago) lasted throughout the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and almost the entire Cenozoic, with the exception of the last 40 thousand years.

The evolution of living organisms during the biogenic stage was not smooth: eras of relatively calm evolution were replaced by periods of rapid and profound transformations, during which some forms of flora and fauna became extinct and others became widespread.

Simultaneously with the appearance of terrestrial living organisms, soils as we know them today began to form.

Anthropogenic stage began 40 thousand years ago and continues today. Although man as a biological species appeared 2-3 million years ago, his impact on nature remained extremely limited for a long time. With the advent of Homo sapiens, this impact increased significantly. This happened 38-40 thousand years ago. This is where the anthropogenic stage in the development of the geographic envelope begins.

Life on Earth began over 3.5 billion years ago, immediately after the completion of the formation of the earth's crust. Throughout time, the emergence and development of living organisms influenced the formation of relief and climate. Also, tectonic and climatic changes that occurred over many years influenced the development of life on Earth.

A table of the development of life on Earth can be compiled based on the chronology of events. The entire history of the Earth can be divided into certain stages. The largest of them are eras of life. They are divided into eras, eras into periods, periods into epochs, epochs into centuries.

Eras of life on Earth

The entire period of the existence of life on Earth can be divided into 2 periods: the Precambrian, or cryptozoic (primary period, 3.6 to 0.6 billion years), and the Phanerozoic.

The Cryptozoic includes the Archean (ancient life) and Proterozoic (primary life) eras.

The Phanerozoic includes the Paleozoic (ancient life), Mesozoic (middle life) and Cenozoic (new life) eras.

These 2 periods of life development are usually divided into smaller ones - eras. The boundaries between eras are global evolutionary events, extinctions. In turn, eras are divided into periods, and periods into epochs. The history of the development of life on Earth is directly related to changes in the earth’s crust and the planet’s climate.

Eras of development, countdown

The most significant events are usually identified in special time intervals - eras. Time is counted down in reverse order, from ancient life to modern life. There are 5 eras:

Periods of development of life on Earth

The Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras include periods of development. These are smaller periods of time compared to eras.

• Cambrian (Cambrian).
• Ordovician.
• Silurian (Silurian).
• Devonian (Devonian).
• Carboniferous (carbon).
• Perm (Perm).

• Lower Tertiary (Paleogene).
• Upper Tertiary (Neogene).
• Quaternary, or Anthropocene (human development).

The first 2 periods are included in the Tertiary period lasting 59 million years.

Proterozoic era (early life)

6. Perm (Perm)

2. Upper Tertiary (Neogene)

3. Quaternary or Anthropocene (human development)

Development of living organisms

The table of the development of life on Earth involves division not only into time periods, but also into certain stages of the formation of living organisms, possible climate changes (ice age, global warming).

• Archean era. The most significant changes in the evolution of living organisms are the appearance of blue-green algae - prokaryotes capable of reproduction and photosynthesis, and the emergence of multicellular organisms. The appearance of living protein substances (heterotrophs) capable of absorbing organic substances dissolved in water. Subsequently, the appearance of these living organisms made it possible to divide the world into plant and animal.

• Mesozoic era.

• Triassic. Distribution of plants (gymnosperms). Increase in the number of reptiles. The first mammals, bony fish.
• Jurassic period. The predominance of gymnosperms, the emergence of angiosperms. The appearance of the first bird, the flourishing of cephalopods.
• Cretaceous period. Distribution of angiosperms, decline of other plant species. Development of bony fishes, mammals and birds.

• Cenozoic era.
  • Lower Tertiary period (Paleogene). The rise of angiosperms. Development of insects and mammals, appearance of lemurs, later primates.
  • Upper Tertiary period (Neogene). The formation of modern plants. The appearance of human ancestors.
  • Quaternary period (Anthropocene). Formation of modern plants and animals. The appearance of man.

Development of inanimate conditions, climate change

The table of the development of life on Earth cannot be presented without data on changes in inanimate nature. The emergence and development of life on Earth, new species of plants and animals, all this is accompanied by changes in inanimate nature and climate.

Climate Change: Archean Era

The history of the development of life on Earth began through the stage of the predominance of land over water resources. The relief was poorly outlined. The atmosphere is dominated by carbon dioxide, the amount of oxygen is minimal. Shallow waters have low salinity.

The Archean era is characterized by volcanic eruptions, lightning, and black clouds. The rocks are rich in graphite.

Climatic changes in the Proterozoic era

The land is a rocky desert; all living organisms live in water. Oxygen accumulates in the atmosphere.

Climate Change: Paleozoic Era

The following climate changes occurred during various periods of the Paleozoic era:

• Cambrian period. The land is still deserted. The climate is hot.
• Ordovician period. The most significant changes are the flooding of almost all northern platforms.
• Silurian. Tectonic changes and conditions of inanimate nature are varied. Mountain formation occurs and the seas dominate the land. Areas of different climates, including areas of cooling, have been identified.
• Devonian. The climate is dry and continental. Formation of intermountain depressions.
• Carboniferous period. Subsidence of continents, wetlands. The climate is warm and humid, with a lot of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• Permian period. Hot climate, volcanic activity, mountain building, drying out of swamps.

During the Paleozoic era, the Caledonian fold mountains were formed. Such changes in relief affected the world's oceans - sea basins shrank and a significant land area formed.

The Paleozoic era marked the beginning of almost all major oil and coal deposits.

Climatic changes in the Mesozoic

The climate of different periods of the Mesozoic is characterized by the following features:

• Triassic. Volcanic activity, climate is sharply continental, warm.
• Jurassic period. Mild and warm climate. The seas dominate the land.
• Cretaceous period. Retreat of the seas from the land. The climate is warm, but at the end of the period global warming gives way to cooling.

In the Mesozoic era, previously formed mountain systems are destroyed, the plains go under water (Western Siberia). In the second half of the era, the Cordillera, the mountains of Eastern Siberia, Indochina, and partly Tibet were formed, and the mountains of Mesozoic folding were formed. The prevailing climate is hot and humid, promoting the formation of swamps and peat bogs.

Climate Change - Cenozoic Era

During the Cenozoic era, a general rise of the Earth's surface occurred. The climate has changed. Numerous glaciations of the earth's surfaces advancing from the north changed the appearance of the continents of the Northern Hemisphere. Thanks to such changes, the hilly plains were formed.

• Lower Tertiary period. Mild climate. Division into 3 climatic zones. Formation of continents.
• Upper Tertiary period. Dry climate. The emergence of steppes and savannas.
• Quaternary period. Multiple glaciations of the northern hemisphere. Cooling climate.

All changes during the development of life on Earth can be written down in the form of a table that will reflect the most significant stages in the formation and development of the modern world. Despite the already known research methods, even now scientists continue to study history, making new discoveries that allow modern society to learn how life developed on Earth before the advent of man.

Development of life on Earth lasts more than 3 billion years. And this process continues to this day.

The first living things in the Archaean were bacteria. Then single-celled algae, animals and fungi appeared. Multicellular organisms replaced unicellular organisms. At the beginning of the Paleozoic, life was already very diverse: representatives of all types of invertebrates lived in the seas, and the first land plants appeared on land. In the following eras, over the course of many millions of years, different groups of plants and animals formed and died out. Gradually the living world became more and more similar to the modern one.

2.6. History of life development

Previously, scientists believed that living things came from living things. Bacterial spores were brought from space. Some bacteria created organic substances, others consumed and destroyed them. As a result, an ancient ecosystem arose, the components of which were connected by the cycle of substances.

Modern scientists have proven that living things came from inanimate nature. In the aquatic environment, organic substances were formed from inorganic substances under the influence of the energy of the Sun and the internal energy of the Earth. The most ancient organisms - bacteria - were formed from them.

In the history of the development of life on Earth, several eras are distinguished.

Archaea

The first organisms were prokaryotes. In the Archean era, a biosphere already existed, consisting mainly of prokaryotes. The very first living creatures on the planet are bacteria. Some of them were capable of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis was carried out by cyanobacteria (blue-green).

Proterozoic

As oxygen levels increased in the atmosphere, eukaryotic organisms began to appear. In the Proterozoic, unicellular plants, and then unicellular animals and fungi, arose in the aquatic environment. An important event of the Proterozoic was the emergence of multicellular organisms. By the end of the Proterozoic, various types of invertebrates and chordates had already appeared.

Paleozoic

Plants

Gradually, dry land arose in place of the warm, shallow seas. As a result, the first land plants evolved from multicellular green algae. In the second half of the Paleozoic, forests appeared. They consisted of ancient ferns, horsetails and mosses, which reproduced by spores.

Animals

At the beginning of the Paleozoic, marine invertebrates flourished. Vertebrate animals - armored fish - developed and spread in the seas.

In the Paleozoic, the first terrestrial vertebrates appeared - the oldest amphibians. From them at the end of the era the first reptiles originated.

The most numerous in the seas of the Paleozoic (era of ancient life) were trilobites - fossil arthropods that looked like giant woodlice. Trilobites - existed at the beginning of the Paleozoic, completely died out 200 million years ago. They swam and crawled in shallow bays, feeding on plants and animal remains. There is an assumption that there were predators among the trilobites.

The very first animals to colonize land were arachnids and giant flying insects - the ancestors of modern dragonflies. Their wingspan reached 1.5 m.

Mesozoic

During the Mesozoic, the climate became drier. The ancient forests gradually disappeared. Spore-bearing plants were replaced by plants that reproduce by seeds. Among animals, reptiles, including dinosaurs, flourished. At the end of the Mesozoic, many species of ancient seed plants and dinosaurs became extinct.

Animals

The largest of the dinosaurs were brachiosaurs. They reached more than 30 m in length and weighed 50 tons. These dinosaurs had a huge body, long tail and neck, and a small head. If they lived in our time, they would be taller than five-story buildings.

Plants

The most complexly organized plants are flowering plants. They appeared in the middle of the Mesozoic (the era of middle life). Material from the site http://wikiwhat.ru

Cenozoic

The Cenozoic is the heyday of birds, mammals, insects and flowering plants. In birds and mammals, due to the more advanced structure of organ systems, warm-bloodedness arose. They became less dependent on environmental conditions and spread widely on Earth.

Hello! In this article I want to tell you about the geochronological column. This is a column of periods of the Earth's development. And also in more detail about each era, thanks to which you can paint a picture of the formation of the Earth throughout its history. What types of life appeared first, how they changed, and how much it took.

The geological history of the Earth is divided into large intervals - eras, eras are divided into periods, periods are divided into epochs. This division was associated with events that took place on. Changes in the abiotic environment influenced the evolution of the organic world on Earth.

Geological eras of the Earth, or geochronological scale:

And now about everything in more detail:

Designations:
Eras;
Periods;
Epochs.

1. Catarchaean era (from the creation of the Earth, about 5 billion years ago, to the origin of life);

2. Archean era , the most ancient era (3.5 billion - 1.9 billion years ago);

3. Proterozoic era (1.9 billion – 570 million years ago);

The Archean and Proterozoic are still combined into the Precambrian. The Precambrian covers the largest portion of geological time. Areas of land and sea were formed, and active volcanic activity occurred. Shields of all continents were formed from Precambrian rocks. Traces of life are usually rare.

4. Palaeozoic (570 million - 225 million years ago) with such periods :

Cambrian period(from the Latin name for Wales)(570 million – 480 million years ago);

The transition to the Cambrian was marked by the unexpected appearance of a huge number of fossils. This is a sign of the beginning of the Paleozoic era. Marine flora and fauna flourished in numerous shallow seas. Trilobites were especially widespread.

Ordovician period(from the British Ordovician tribe)(480 million – 420 million years ago);

Much of the Earth was soft, and most of the surface was still covered by seas. The accumulation of sedimentary rocks continued, and mountain building occurred. There were reef-formers. There is an abundance of corals, sponges and mollusks.

Silurian (from the British Silure tribe)(420 million – 400 million years ago);

Dramatic events in the history of the Earth began with the development of jawless fish-like fish (the first vertebrates), which appeared in the Ordovician. Another significant event was the appearance of the first land animals in the Late Silurian.

Devonian (from Devonshire in England)(400 million – 320 million years ago);

In the Early Devonian, mountain-building movements reached their peak, but basically it was a period of spasmodic development. The first seed plants settled on land. A large variety and number of fish-like species were noted, and the first terrestrial animals developed. animals- amphibians.

Carboniferous or Carboniferous period (from the abundance of coal in the seams) (320 million – 270 million years ago);

Mountain building, folding, and erosion continued. In North America, swampy forests and river deltas were flooded, and large coal deposits were formed. The southern continents were covered by glaciation. Insects spread rapidly, and the first reptiles appeared.

Permian period (from the Russian city of Perm)(270 million - 225 million years ago);

On a large part of Pangea - the supercontinent that united everything - conditions prevailed. Reptiles spread widely and modern insects evolved. New terrestrial flora developed, including conifers. Several marine species have disappeared.

5. Mesozoic era (225 million - 70 million years ago) with such periods:

Triassic (from the tripartite division of the period proposed in Germany)(225 million – 185 million years ago);

With the onset of the Mesozoic era, Pangea began to disintegrate. On land, the dominance of conifers was established. Diversity among reptiles was noted, with the first dinosaurs and giant marine reptiles appearing. Primitive mammals evolved.

Jurassic period(from mountains in Europe)(185 million - 140 million years ago);

Significant volcanic activity was associated with the formation of the Atlantic Ocean. Dinosaurs dominated on land, flying reptiles and primitive birds conquered the air ocean. There are traces of the first flowering plants.

Cretaceous period (from the word "chalk")(140 million – 70 million years ago);

During the maximum expansion of the seas, chalk was deposited, especially in Britain. The dominance of dinosaurs continued until the extinction of them and other species at the end of the period.

6. Cenozoic era (70 million years ago - up to our time) with such periods And epochs:

Paleogene period (70 million – 25 million years ago);

— Paleocene epoch ("the oldest part of the new epoch")(70 million – 54 million years ago);
— Eocene Epoch ("dawn of a new era")(54 million – 38 million years ago);
— Oligocene Epoch ("not very new")(38 million – 25 million years ago);

Neogene period (25 million - 1 million years ago);

— Miocene Epoch ("relatively new")(25 million – 8 million years ago);
— Pliocene Epoch ("very recent")(8 million – 1 million years ago);

The Paleocene and Neogene periods are still combined into the Tertiary period. With the onset of the Cenozoic era (new life), mammals began to spread spasmodically. Many large species evolved, although many became extinct. The number of flowering plants has increased sharply plants. As the climate cooled, herbaceous plants appeared. There was a significant uplift of the land.

Quaternary period (1 million – our time);

— Pleistocene epoch (“most recent”)(1 million – 20 thousand years ago);

— Holocene era(“a completely new era”) (20 thousand years ago – our time).

This is the last geological period that includes the present time. Four major glaciations alternated with warming periods. The number of mammals has increased; they have adapted to . The formation of man - the future ruler of the Earth - took place.

There are also other ways of dividing eras, epochs, periods, eons are added to them, and some epochs are still divided, like on this table, for example.

But this table is more complex, the confusing dating of some eras is purely chronological, not based on stratigraphy. Stratigraphy is the science of determining the relative geological age of sedimentary rocks, the division of rock strata, and the correlation of different geological formations.

This division, of course, is relative, since there was no sharp distinction from today to tomorrow in these divisions.

But still, at the turn of neighboring eras and periods, significant geological transformations predominantly took place: processes of mountain formation, redistribution of seas, changing of the climate etc.

Each subsection was, of course, characterized by its unique flora and fauna.

, And You can read it in the same section.

Thus, these are the main eras of the Earth on which all scientists rely 🙂