Supereon Eon Era Period Epoch Age in Description

number (Ma)

Holocene 0-0.0112 End of Ice Age, formation of Sahara Desert

Quaternary
Beginning of Ice Age, rise of Homo Sapiens, Megafauna
Pleistocene 0.0112-2.58
extinction
Pliocene 2.58-5.333 Earliest human

Cenozoic
Neogene Orogeny in Northern Hemisphere, first ape appeared, modern
Miocene 5.333-23.03
mammals and bird families become recognizable

Tertiary Start of widespread Antarctic glaciation, rapid evolution &

Oligocene 23.03-33.9
diversification of fauna and modern flowering plants.
Paleogene Eocene 33.9-56.0 Formation of Himalaya and formation of Alps
Paleocene Climate tropical, modern plants appear, first large mammal in
56.0-66.0
Asia and Europe
Late 66.0-100.5 Last period of the age of dinosaurs, first primate and
Cretaceous
Early 100.5-145.0 angiosperms, breakup of Gondwana
Late 145.0-163.5 Breakup of Pangaea into Gondwana and Laurasia, Formation
Mesozoic

Jurassic Middle 163.5-174.1 of oilfield of North Sea. Ocean was full of fish, bivalves,
Early 174.1-201.3 ammonites, and belemnites are very abundant.
Late 201.3-237.0 Appearance of primitive mammals, altering global climate and
Triassic Middle 237.0-247.2 ocean circulation happened, Andean orogeny in South
Early 247.2-251.90 America, Pangaea still inexistence.
Lopingian 251.90-259.1 Landmasses unite into supercontinent Pangaea. Primitive
Phanerozoic

Guadalupian 259.1-272.95 reptiles dominated, End of Permo-Carboniferous glaciation,

Permian Cisuralian 95 percent of life on Earth become extinct, including all
272.95-298.9 trilobites, graptolites, and blastoids in Permian-Triassic
extinction event.
Late 298.9-307.0 Highest ever atmospheric oxygen level, testate forams
Pennsylvania Middle 307.0-315.2 proliferate, first reptiles and coal forests, winged insects
n
Early 315.2-323.2 radiate suddenly
Carboniferous
Late 323.2-330.9 Coal forming coastal swamps, echinoderms are abundant,
Mississippian Middle 330.9-346.7 glaciation in East Gondwana, Tuhua Orogeny in New Zealand
Early 346.7-358.9 tapers off
Late 358.9-382.7 Climate becomes drier, first wingless insects, fish move to
open seas, first amphibians still aquatic, brachiopod, rugose,
Paleozoic

Middle 382.7-393.3
Devonian Early and crinoid are abundant in ocean, beginning of Acadian
393.3-419.2 orogeny for Anti-Atlas mountain in Africa and Appalachian
Mountains in North America.
Pridoli 419.2-423.0 Stable and warm temperature, first vascular plants, rugose
Ludlow 423.0-427.4 coral, brachiopod, and crinoid are abundant, first jawed fish,
Silurian
Wenlock 427.4-433.4 beginning of Caledonian orogeny for hills on England,
Llandovery 433.4-443.8 Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and the Scandinavian Mountains
Late 443.8-458.4 Invertebrates diversify into many new types, early planktonic
Ordovician Middle 458.4-470.0 vertebrates are appeared, first green plant and fungi on land,
Early 470.0-485.4 ice age at the end of period
Furongian 485.4-497.0 Major diversification of life in Cambrian Explosion, most
Miaolingian 497.0-509.0 modern animal phyla appear, first chordates appear,
Cambrian
Epoch 2 509.0-521 Gondwana emerges, extensive seas, atmospheric CO2 roughly
Terreneuvian 521-541.0 15 times present day levels.
Ediacaran
Neoproterozoic

541.0-635
Rodinia supercontinent persist in Tonian and begin to breakup
Cryogenian in Cryogenian, trace fossil of simple multi-celled eukaryotes,
635-720
first sponges, cnidarian, and trilobitomorphs, warm and moist
Tonian condition
720-1000
Stenian
Mesoproterozoic

1000-1200
Proterozoic

Ectasian Narrow highly metamorphic belts due to orogeny as Rodinia

1200-1400
forms, platform covers are expanding
Precambrian

Calymmian
1400-1600
Statherian 1600-1800
Paleoproterozoic

Orosirian 1800-2050
Formation of banded iron ores, first complex single-celled
Rhyacian
2050-2300 life: protists with nuclei, Atmosphere becomes oxygenic
Siderian
2300-2500
Neoarcshean 2500-2800
Archean

Mesoarchean 2800-3200 First stromatolites, Napier orogeny and Rayner orogeny in

Antarctica, first known oxygen-producing bacteria, extensive
Paleoarchean 3200-3600 mountain bulding
Eoarchean 3600-4000
Hadean 4000-4600 Possible first appearance of plate tectonics,