1. Intro
Geology
Timescale
and
Key
Dates
Eon
Era
Period
Epoch
Time
(Ma)
Major
Events
(Red
Lines
=
Mass
Extinctions)
When
was
the
greatest
mass
extinction?
Phanerozoic
Cenozoic
Quaternary
Holocene
0.01-­‐0
Humans
Pleistocene
2.5-­‐
0.01
Neogene
Pliocene
5-­‐2.5
20
glaciations
2
Ma-­‐recent
Australopithecus
footprints
2-­‐4
Ma
Uplift
of
Tetons
5
Ma
Miocene
23-­‐5
Basin
and
Range
extension
15
Ma-­‐present
Colorado
Plateau
Uplift
Columbia
River
Basalts
&
Snake
River
Plain
17
Ma
Tibetan
Plateau
Uplifts
10-­‐20
Ma
Paleogene
Oligocene
34-­‐23
Eocene
56-­‐34
Paleocene
65-­‐56
Rise
of
Mammals
Closing
of
Tethys
50
Ma
India
collides
with
Asia
50
Ma
Deccan
Traps
and
Uintas
Mtns.
65
Ma
Iceland
and
N.
Atlantic
volcanic
Province
63
Ma
Mesozoic
Cretaceous
145-­‐
65
End
of
Dinosaurs
at
end
of
Cretaceous
Chixculub
impact
in
Yucatan
Peninsula
65
Ma
Laramide
Orogeny,
Wind
River
Mtns.
70-­‐80
Ma
N.
Atlantic
opening
90
Ma
S.
Atlantic
opening
125
Ma
Parana
flood
basalt
140
Ma
Sevier
Orogeny
140-­‐50
Ma
Jurassic
201-­‐
145
Start
of
rifting
of
Pangaea,
opening
central
Atlantic
170
Ma
Palisades
Sill
170
Ma

2. Triassic
252-­‐
201
First
Dinosaurs
Siberian
Traps
250
Ma
Paleozoic
Permian
299-­‐
252
Biggest
mass
extinction
event
end
of
Permian
Trilobites
extinct
end
of
Permian
Pangaea
completely
assembled,
Tethys
Ocean
260
Ma
Carboniferous
359-­‐
299
First
Reptiles
Coal
Swamps
Alleghenian
Orogeny
300
Ma,
3rd
uplift
of
Appalachians,
collision
of
Gondwana
Caledonian
orogeny
345
Ma,
closing
Iapetus
Ocean,
part
of
building
of
Appalachians
Acadian
Orogeny
350
Ma
Devonian
419-­‐
359
Age
of
Fish
Trilobites
decline
in
Devonian
Eastern
US
Acadian
Orogeny,
2nd
uplift
of
Appalachians
Western
US
Antler
Orogeny
Continues
Silurian
444-­‐
419
Western
US
Antler
Orogeny
Ordovician
485-­‐
444
Trilobites
abundant
Taconic
orogeny,
1st
uplift
of
Appalachians
Iapetus
Ocean
450
Ma,
between
Laurentia,
Avalonia,
and
Baltica
Cambrian
542-­‐
485
Cambrian
Explosion
580-­‐542
Ma
Trilobites
appear
521
Ma
First
appearance
of
skeletons/shells
Proterozoic
2500-­‐
542
First
Animals
1000
Ma
Michigan
Basin
starts
forming
1000
Ma
Break
up
of
Rodinia
1000
Ma
Great
Oxidation
Event
2500
Ma
Banded
Iron
Formations
2500-­‐2200
Ma
Archean
4000-­‐
2500
First
Large
Subduction
thrust
2700
Ma,
Plate
Tectonics
(maybe
older?)
Stromatolites,
oldest
fossils
3500
Ma
Pilbara,
early
felsic
crust-­‐granitoids,
3500
Ma
Oldest
Rock
4050
Ma
Hadean
4500-­‐
4000
Oldest
rock
4050
Ma,
Canada
Oldest
Zircon,
4400
Ma,
Australia
Moon
forming
event