A
TIMELINE FOR THE PLANET
AGE OF LARGE
ANIMALS AND PLANTS
– POST CAMBRIAN ERA
detailed
version (printer-friendly)
Birth To put things in perspective – age of
large animals and plants is in red------------↓ Of planet 4 (kMy) 3 2 1 now
|________|___________________|___________________|___________________|_________|_________| |
|||
Y’rs ago (millions) |
Events |
Climate |
‘Epoch’ |
~550 |
First
decent sized fossils, the Ediacara fauna |
ice |
Precamb’
Prd |
545 |
Great Cambrian Explosion
, trilobites Panotia map
|
|
Cambrian
|
|
|
hot |
Period |
520 |
CAMBRIAN EXTINCTION 515: Burgess
Shale |
unknown |
|
|
|
|
(545-505
My) |
500 |
|
|
|
|
|
hot |
Ordovician |
|
|
wet |
Period |
470 |
plants
invade land (liverworts) & fungi appear |
|
(505-440
My) |
465 |
Great
Ordovician diversification map |
|
|
|
|
ice |
|
440 |
ORDOVICIAN EXTINCTION |
|
Silurian
|
|
|
|
Period |
420 |
animals
invade land (arthropods)
, vascular plants appear |
hot |
|
|
map |
dry |
(440-410
My) |
400 |
Pangaea
starts to build, seeds appear (or
possibly later) |
|
|
|
|
hot |
Devonian
|
380 |
trees
appear |
wet |
Period |
370 |
insects
appear. 365:
LATE DEVONIAN EXTINCTION |
|
(410-360
My) |
360 |
coal
forests fish invade
land oxygen level leaps |
|
|
350 |
land
reptiles appear
map |
warm |
|
|
|
wet |
|
330 |
(throughout
period) huge development in
plants |
|
Carboniferous |
|
|
cool |
Period |
|
|
wet |
(360-290
My) |
300 |
flying
insects appear , herbivores
appear, conifers appear |
|
|
|
|
ice |
|
|
|
|
Permian
|
270 |
Pangaea
complete. map, 260? flying reptiles appear
|
warm |
Period |
|
|
dry |
(290-245
My) |
250 |
Flood
Basalts (Sib. Traps) P-T EXTINCT’ oxygen level falls |
|
|
240 |
widespread
deserts (throughout period) |
|
Triassic
|
|
|
|
Period |
220 |
Strange
‘triassic’ animals appear, + dinos & primitive mammals |
|
(245-200
My) |
|
|
|
Age |
200 205 |
flood
basalts ( |
hot dry |
|
|
Gymnosperms dominate the plant scene |
|
|
183 |
flood
basalts (S. Africa & Antarctica, minor extinction), methane outpouring |
|
Jurassic |
|
|
|
Period |
|
|
|
(200-145
My) |
150 |
Pangaea
starts break up huge dinos &
flying reptiles oxygen level rises |
warm |
|
|
(still 150) first birds
Evolution of flight |
medium |
of |
140 |
flowering
plants appear |
|
|
120 |
Flood
basalts, methane outpourings (but no extinctions) |
|
Cretaceous |
|
|
|
Period |
100 |
|
hot |
(145-65
My) |
|
|
medium |
|
|
|
|
|
70 |
first
primates (primitive) 65+ Flood basalts (Deccan
Traps) |
|
Dinosaurs |
65 |
|
|
|
55 |
mammals
start take over, serious primates appear surge
of global warmng |
Warm
wet |
Age |
40 |
India
hits Asia, oxygen
level falls descent into ice age begins |
|
|
30 |
Hominoids
appear (apes etc.) 35: Antarctic
ice sheet starts to form |
|
of |
20 |
Africa
hits Europe |
ice |
|
10 |
Himalayas
start building, 7: grass becomes
widespread |
|
Mammals |
0
5 |
first
Hominids 2.5 first tools
1.9 first Homos leave
Africa 1.6 use of Fire |
|
|
©
C B Pease, January 08