Life of Universe age of large creatures age of Mammals age of hominids age of humans
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Time(kMy) Ago |
Events |
‘Epoch’ |
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4.55 |
Birth of
Solar System and our planet more |
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Hadean |
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? |
Planet cool enough for liquid water, and ‘permanent’ crust |
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Aeon |
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(0 – 4 kMy) |
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4 4.0 |
Dawn of Life?? more |
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3.8? |
Oldest rocks more
(Geology of young Earth) |
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Banded Iron Formations more |
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3.5 |
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Archaean |
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Aeon |
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(4 – |
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3 |
Planet still too turbulent for much but bacteria to survive |
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2.5 kMy) |
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2.6: |
Things begin to settle down a bit |
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2.5: |
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Oxygenation of planet begins more Stromatolites abundant more |
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Red Beds
more |
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2.1 |
First eukaryotes (?) more |
no data |
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2 |
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Proterozoic |
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1.7–1.6 |
Supercontinent more |
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Aeon |
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(2.5 kMy– |
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545 My) |
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1.1 |
Rodinia formed more, possible algae on land |
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1 |
complex creatures appear (tiny)
more |
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Life experiments with many different forms (all tiny) |
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0.75 |
start of terrible Ice Age
more |
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ice |
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0.57 |
end of Ice Age first large creatures more 0.55 Panotia formed more |
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0.5 |
Cambrian Explosion –
used to be thought the dawn of life |
hot |
Age of |
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ice |
large |
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0.3 |
Pangaea Big juicy fossils flying reptiles |
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animals |
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0.2 |
First dinosaurs & mammals |
hot dry |
and plants |
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[expand] |
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0 |
End of dinosaurs (except birds),
Humans, Latest ice age, etc. |
ice |
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© C B Pease, Sept 07