A TIMELINE FOR THE PLANET click for Home Page
THE AGE OF LARGE
ANIMALS
AND PLANTS – POST CAMBRIAN ERA
(for less confusing detail, click
here)
Life of Universe life of Planet age of Mammals age of hominids age of humans
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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 |
‘Epoch’ |
|
~550 |
First decent sized fossils, the Ediacara fauna more |
ice |
Precamb’ Prd |
545 |
|
Cambrian |
|
|
|
hot |
Period |
520 |
unknown |
|
|
|
|
|
(545-505 My) |
500 |
|
|
|
|
|
hot |
Ordovician |
|
|
wet |
Period |
470 |
plants invade land (liverworts) & fungi appear more |
|
(505-440 My) |
465 |
|
|
|
|
|
ice |
|
440 |
ORDOVICIAN EXTINCTION more |
|
Silurian |
|
|
|
Period |
420 |
animals invade land (arthropods) more, vascular
plants appear more map |
hot |
|
|
|
dry |
(440-410 My) |
400 |
Pangaea starts to build (more),
seeds appear (or possibly later) more |
|
|
|
|
hot |
Devonian |
380 |
trees appear more |
wet |
Period more |
370 |
insects appear. 365: LATE DEVONIAN EXTINCTION more |
|
(410-360 My) |
360 |
coal forests more
fish invade land more
oxygen level leaps more |
|
|
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 more, herbivores appear, conifers appear |
|
|
|
|
ice |
|
|
|
|
Permian |
270 |
warm |
Period |
|
|
|
dry |
(290-245 My) |
250 |
Flood Basalts (Sib. Traps) more,
P-T EXTINCT’ more oxygen level falls |
|
|
240 |
widespread deserts (throughout period) map |
|
Triassic |
|
|
|
Period |
220 |
Strange ‘triassic’ animals appear, + dinos & primitive mammals
more |
|
(245-200 My) |
|
|
|
Age |
200 205 |
hot dry |
|
|
|
Gymnosperms dominate the plant scene more |
|
|
183 |
flood basalts (S. Africa & Antarctica, minor extinct’), methane
outpouring |
|
Jurassic |
|
|
|
Period |
|
|
|
(200-145 My) |
150 |
Pangaea breaks up huge dinos & flying reptiles oxygen level rises |
warm |
|
|
(still 150) first birds more Evolution of
flight
map |
medium |
of |
140 |
flowering plants appear more
|
|
|
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) more |
|
Dinosaurs |
65 |
|
|
|
55 |
mammals
start take over, serious primates appear, surge of global warmng |
Warm
wet |
|
40 |
India hits Asia,
oxygen level falls descent into ice age begins |
|
Age of |
30 |
Hominoids
appear (apes etc.) 35: Antarctic
ice sheet starts to form |
|
|
20 |
Africa
hits Europe |
ice |
Mammals |
10 |
Himalayas
start building, 7: grass becomes
widespread |
|
|
0 5 |
first
Hominids 2.5 first tools
1.9 first Homos leave
Africa 1.6 use of Fire |
|
|
© C
B Pease, January 08