HISTORY OF LIFE ON EARTH BASED ON GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE
Geologic Time Scale
The geologic time scale is the “calendar” for events in Earth history. It subdivides all time into
named units of abstract time called—in descending order of duration—eons, eras, periods, and
epochs.
Geologic time units is based on stratigprahy, which is the correlation and classification of rock strata.
Stratigprahy is a scientific discipline concerned with the description of rock successions and their
interpretation in terms of a general time scale.
1. EONS - The largest or longest intervals of geologic time and are hundreds of millions of years
in duration.
2. ERAS - Eons are divided into smaller time intervals known as eras.
3. PERIODS - Eras are subdivided into periods.
4. EPOCHS - Subdivision of periods into epochs can be done only for the most recent portion of
the geologic time scale.
 PRECAMBRIAN EONS (began about 4.6 billion years ago – 541 million years ago)
- Represent 88% of geological time.
 Hadean Eon (4.6 billion and about 4.0 billion years ago)
- Informal division of precambrian time which is characterized by Earth’s initial
formation from the accretion of dust and gases and the frequent collisions of larger
planetesimals and by the stabilization of its core and crust and the development of
its atmosphere and oceans.
 Archean Eon (about 4.0 billion to 2.5 billion years ago)
- It comprises four eras : Eoarchean, Paleoarchean, Mesoarchean, and the
Neoarchean.
- Records of Earth’s primitive atmosphere and oceans emerge in the Eoarchean era.
- Fossil evidence of the earliest primitive life-forms—prokaryotic microbes from the
domain called Archaea and bacteria—appears in rocks.
- Prokaryotes spread over much of Earth's surface, often in mats comprising myriads
of collaborating bacteria differentiated by the type of biochemistry each performed.
 Proterozoic Eon (2.5 billion to 541 million years ago)
- It is often divided into Paleoproterozoic Era, Mesoproterozoic Era and
Neoproterozoic Era.
- Proterozoic rocks have been identified on all the continents and often constitute
important sources of metallic ores, notably of iron, gold, copper, uranium, and
nickel.
- Proterozoic rocks contain many definite traces of primitive life-forms—the fossil
remains of bacteria and blue-green algae, as well as of the first oxygen-dependent
animals, the Ediacara fauna.
 PHANEROZOIC EON (began 541 million years ago - present)
 Paleozoic Era (541 million - 252 million years ago)
- Paleozoic means “old life”.
- Characterized by trilobites, the first four-limbed vertebrates, and the origin of land plants.
 Cambrian Period (Age of Invertebrates)
- Most major groups of animals first appear in the fossil record, an event popularly
and scientifically called the "Cambrian Explosion".
- Many types of primitive animals called sponges evolved. Small ocean invertebrates
called trilobites became abundant.
 Ordovician Period (Age of Invertebrates)
- Massive marine life diversification.
- The oceans became filled with invertebrates of many types.
- The first fish evolved and plants colonized the land for the first time. But animals
still remained in the water.
 Silurian Period (Age of Fishes)
- Life gains a foothold on land.
- Corals appeared in the oceans, and fish continued to evolve.
- On land, vascular plants appeared. With special tissues to circulate water and
other materials, these plants could grow larger than the earlier nonvascular plants.
 Devonian Period (Age of Fishes)
- The first seed plants evolved. Seeds have a protective coat and stored food to help
these plants survive. Seed plants eventually became the most common type of land
plants.
- In the oceans, fish with lobe fins evolved. They could breathe air when they raised
their heads above water. Breathing would be necessary for animals to eventually
colonize the land.
 Carboniferous Period (Age of Amphibians)
1. Pennsylvanian - It is named after the state of Pennsylvania.
- Widespread forests of huge plants left massive deposits of carbon that
eventually turned to coal.
2. Mississippian - It is named after the Mississippi River valley.
- The first amphibians evolved to move out of the water and colonize land, but
they had to return to the water to reproduce. Soon after amphibians arose, the first
reptiles evolved.
 Permian Period (Age of Amphibians)
- Temperatures were extreme, and the climate was dry. Plants and animals evolved
adaptations to dryness, such as waxy leaves or leathery skin to prevent water loss.
- Life on land included a diversity of plants, arthropods, amphibians and reptiles. The
reptiles were mainly synapsids (Pelycosaurs and Therapsids) that appeared in the
Upper Carboniferous towards the very end of the Permian the first archosaurs
appear.
 - It ended with a mass extinction.
PERMIAN-TRIASSIC EXTINCTION (End-Permian extinction) - a series of extinction pulses that
contributed to the greatest mass extinction in Earth’s history.
 Mesozoic Era (252 million - 66 million years ago) – “Age of Reptiles or Dinosaurs”
- Mesozoic means “middle life”.
 Triassic Period
- The first dinosaurs branched off from the reptiles and colonized the land,air and
water.
- Huge seed ferns and conifers dominated the forests.
- Modern corals, fish and insects evolved,
- Pangaea started to separate into Laurasia and Gondwanaland.
 Jurassic Period
- The mass extinction that ended the Triassis allowed dinosaurs to flourish in the
Jurassic. This was the “golden age of dinosaurs”.
- The earliest birds evolved from reptile ancestors.
- All the major group of mammals were still small in size.
- Flowering plants appeared for the first time. New insects also evolved to pollinate
flowers.
 Cretacious Period
- Dinosaurs reached their peak in size and distributions like Tyrannosaurus.
- It ended with dramatic extinction of dinosaurs.
 Cenozoic Era (66 million years ago - present) – “Age of mammals”
- Cenozoic means “new life”.
 Tertiary Period
- Earth’s climate was generally warm and humid.
- Mammals evolved to fill virtuality all niches vacated by dinosaurs. Many mammals
increased in size.
- Mammals called primates evolved, including human ancestors.
- Modern rain forests and grasslands appeared.
- Flowering plants and insects were numerous and widespread.
1. Paleogene Period
 Paleocene Epoch - sharks became the most abundant
fishes, while gastropods and bivalves replaced the once-
dominant ammonites.
 Eocene Epoch - "dawn of early life". Pangaea had begun
to break apart.
 Oligocene Epoch - Antarctic ice cap was beginning to
form, provoking a marked cooling effect and a pattern of
seasonal fluctuations. These changes apparently favored
homeothermic (warm-blooded) animals.
2. Neogene Period
 Miocene Epoch - warmer climate again produced changes
in vegetation which rippled through the world of
herbivores and predators.
 Pliocene Epoch - the continents had shifted into more or
less their present-day locations. Allowing animals that had
developed independently for millions of years to mingle
and causing differentiations in marine species.
 Quaternary Period
- Earth’s climate cooled, leading to series of ice ages.
- Some mammals, like wooly mammoths, adapted to the cold by evolving very large
size and thick fur. Other animals moved closer to equator or went extinct, along
with many plants.
 Pleistocene Epoch (The Great Ice Age) - covers the alternating periods of
glacial advance and retreat across the Northern Hemisphere and the
corresponding effect on plant and animal life.
 Holocene Epoch - the current chapter of Earth history, deals with the
interglacial period which saw the rise to dominance of Homo sapiens, the
first mammal to shape its environment as well as be shaped by it.
THEORIES OF ORIGIN OF LIFE
1. Electricity
Lightning may have provided the spark needed for life to begin. It has been proven that
electricity can produce simple sugars and amino acids from simple elements in the
atmosphere. It is the famous Miller-Urey experiment reported in 1953, suggesting that
lightning might have helped create the key building blocks of life on Earth in its early days.
Over millions of years, larger and more complex molecules could form. This leads to the
theory that lightning may have been responsible for the origins of life, primarily by striking
through rich volcanic clouds.
2. Beneath the Ice
Some evidence indicates that, around three billion years ago, Earth’s oceans were covered
with ice. This ice may have been hundreds of meters thick and was mainly due to the sun
being much less fierce than it is nowadays. This theory contends that the ice may have
protected the compounds, allowing them to interact and, thereby, creating life.
3. Panspermia
It is the proposal that life on Earth didn’t actually begin on Earth at all. Rocks, and other
debris from impacts, are plentiful. In fact, rocks from Mars have been found here on Earth,
and it has been suggested they any one of these would have brought microbes that could
have kick-started life.
 4. RNA
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is today most known for its role in the expression of genes. To put it
simply, DNA unzips, revealing the necessary gene that is being called for by the body, then
RNA is transcribed from single nucleotides, copying the revealed segment for gene
expression. This theory states that all life sprouted from a complex RNA world.
5. Simple Metabolism and Reactions
In contrast to the RNA theory, this approach suggests that the primordial soup simply
continued to react with itself over time, producing more and more complex molecules,
eventually yielding life. This is the most simple of the standing theories, and is difficult to
dismiss.
6. Clay Breeding Ground
Research at the University of Glasgow, in Scotland, has given rise to the theory that life on
Earth may have evolved in clay. It is suggested that clay may have served as an area of
concentrated chemical activity, providing a breeding ground for DNA and other
components.
7. Submarine Hydrothermal Vents
Submarine hydrothermal vents, or deep-sea vents, contain vast and diverse ecosystems. The
nutrient rich environment filled with reactive gases and catalysts, creates a habitat teeming
with life. Studies suggest that life may have originated from within these vents, a theory that
cannot be ignored, And one that may in fact tie in with the ice theory.

Reporters : ATIS, GENERAL, TIONGCO, DEL ROSARIO, ROMBAON, VILLANUEVA (12 STEM – Newton)
LUNA (12 STEM – Mendel)

References : Digital Atlas of Ancient Life. Geologic Time Scale.

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