The geologic time scale (GTS) is a system of chronological dating that relates

geological strata (stratigraphy) to time. It is used by geologists,

paleontologists, and other Earth scientists to describe the timing and
relationships of events that have occurred during Earth's history. The table of
geologic time spans, presented here, agree with the nomenclature, dates and
standard color codes set forth by the International Commission on Stratigraphy
(ICS).
Contents

1 Terminology
2 Rationale
3 History and nomenclature of the time scale
3.1 Early history
3.2 Establishment of primary principles
3.3 Formulation of geologic time scale
3.4 Naming of geologic periods, eras and epochs
3.5 Dating of time scales
3.6 The Anthropocene
4 Table of geologic time
5 Proposed Precambrian timeline
6 See also
7 Notes
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links

Terminology

The primary defined divisions of time are eons, in sequence the Hadean, the
Archean, the Proterozoic and the Phanerozoic. The first three of these can be
referred to collectively as the Precambrian supereon. Eons are divided into eras,
which are in turn divided into periods, epochs and ages.

The following four timelines show the geologic time scale. The first shows the
entire time from the formation of the Earth to the present, but this gives little
space for the most recent eon. Therefore, the second timeline shows an expanded
view of the most recent eon. In a similar way, the most recent era is expanded in
the third timeline, and the most recent period is expanded in the fourth timeline.
Millions of Years

Corresponding to eons, eras, periods, epochs and ages, the terms "eonothem",
"erathem", "system", "series", "stage" are used to refer to the layers of rock that
belong to these stretches of geologic time in Earth's history.

Geologists qualify these units as "early", "mid", and "late" when referring to
time, and "lower", "middle", and "upper" when referring to the corresponding rocks.
For example, the lower Jurassic Series in chronostratigraphy corresponds to the
early Jurassic Epoch in geochronology.[2] The adjectives are capitalized when the
subdivision is formally recognized, and lower case when not; thus "early Miocene"
but "Early Jurassic."
Rationale

Evidence from radiometric dating indicates that Earth is about 4.54 billion years
old.[3][4] The geology or deep time of Earth's past has been organized into various
units according to events which took place. Different spans of time on the GTS are
usually marked by corresponding changes in the composition of strata which indicate
major geological or paleontological events, such as mass extinctions. For example,
the boundary between the Cretaceous period and the Paleogene period is defined by
the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, which marked the demise of the non-avian
dinosaurs and many other groups of life. Older time spans, which predate the
reliable fossil record (before the Proterozoic eon), are defined by their absolute
age.

Geologic units from the same time but different parts of the world often look
different and contain different fossils, so the same time-span was historically
given different names in different locales. For example, in North America, the
Lower Cambrian is called the Waucoban series that is then subdivided into zones
based on succession of trilobites. In East Asia and Siberia, the same unit is split
into Alexian, Atdabanian, and Botomian stages. A key aspect of the work of the
International Commission on Stratigraphy is to reconcile this conflicting
terminology and define universal horizons that can be used around the world.[5]

Some other planets and moons in the Solar System have sufficiently rigid structures
to have preserved records of their own histories, for example, Venus, Mars and the
Earth's Moon. Dominantly fluid planets, such as the gas giants, do not preserve
their history in a comparable manner. Apart from the Late Heavy Bombardment, events
on other planets probably had little direct influence on the Earth, and events on
Earth had correspondingly little effect on those planets. Construction of a time
scale that links the planets is, therefore, of only limited relevance to the
Earth's time scale, except in a Solar System context. The existence, timing, and
terrestrial effects of the Late Heavy Bombardment are still a matter of debate.[a]