WEEKLY LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEETS

Earth Science, Quarter 2, Week 7

HISTORY OF THE EARTH AND GEOLOGIC TIME

Learning Competency:
Describe the history of the Earth through geologic time (MELC-S11ES-IIj-39)

Specific Objectives:
1. Describe the history of the Earth through geologic time;
2. Determine what happened in each era or period of the geologic time; and
3. Discuss the impacts of human beings despite their brief existence according to the
geologic time scale.

Key Concepts

History of the Earth

• The Earth’s history is recorded in the rocks of the crust. Scientists used assumption called
uniformitarianism in order to relate what we know about present-day processes to past
events – the present-day is the key to the past.
• Uniformitarianism states that the natural laws we know today have been constant over
the geologic past.

Earth’s Early Evolution

• As materials continued to accumulate, the high velocity impact of interplanetary debris and
the decay of radioactive elements caused the temperature of our planet to steadily increase.
• During the period of intense heating Earth became hot enough that iron and nickel began
to melt. This process occurred rapidly on the scale of geologic and produced Earth’s dense
iron-rich core.
• The early period of heating also resulted in a magma ocean, about hundred kilometers deep.
Within the magma ocean buoyant masses of molten rock rose toward the surface and
eventually solidified to produce a thin, primitive crust – thus, the three major divisions of
the Earth’s interior – a) the iron – rich core, b) the thin primitive crust, and c) its
thickest layer, the mantle.
• The light materials – including water vapor, carbon dioxide and other gasses escaped to
form primitive atmosphere and shortly thereafter the oceans.

Geologic Time Scale

• The history and evolution of Earth are described using the geologic timescale. 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 Geologic Time Scale is divided into big portions of time known as Eons. Eons are further
divided into Eras. Eras are divided into Periods.
• The Precambrian Time (the time of hidden life) is the point of time in which our planet
started to form. This is subdivided into Hadean, Archean, and Proterozoic Eon.
Meanwhile, Phanerozoic Eon, living organisms like plants and animals existed. It
constitutes the time of multicellular life on Earth and the evolutionary process happened.
• Phanerozoic Eon is further divided into the Paleozoic Era (time of ancient life), Mesozoic
Era (time of middle life), Cenozoic Era (time of recent life).

Author: Laugo, Angie Flor A. / Monter, Lovely Fe G.

School/Station: Socorro National High School
Division: SIARGAO
email address: angieflor.arcular@deped.gov.ph/lovelyfe.monter@deped.gov.ph
The Precambrian time
• Ranges from about 4.6 billion years ago, when the earth formed, to about 544 million years
ago, when abundant microscopic life appeared.
• Most of the rocks in this early part of Earth’s history have been extensively eroded away,
metamorphosed, obscured by overlying strata or recycled into Earth’s interior.
• The Earth’s earliest gasses were hypothesized to be swept into space by solar wind. As the
planet slowly cooled, a more sustaining atmosphere was formed.
• Gasses brought to the surface by volcanic processes created both primitive atmosphere and
an ocean. The first simple organisms were plants.
• During mid-Precambrian, organisms such as blue green algae developed a simple version
of photosynthesis.
• Photosynthetic organisms require carbon dioxide to utilize the sun’s energy. They keep the
carbon dioxide and expel oxygen. With the release of free oxygen, a primitive ozone layer
began to develop which reduced the amount of harmful ultraviolet radiation reaching the
Earth.
• The most common Precambrian fossils are stromatolites. These are not remains of actual
organisms, rather indirect pieces of evidence of algae. Many of Precambrian fossils were
preserved in hard, dense chemical sedimentary rock known as chert.
• Fossils of plants date from the middle Precambrian, but fossils of animals date in the
Precambrian. Towards the end of this period, fossil records revealed that diverse and
complete multi-celled organisms existed.

HADEAN EON
• Greek for “beneath the Earth”. It is the earliest time in Earth history and ranges from the
planet’s origin 4.6 billion years ago to 3.8 billion years ago.
• Solar System and Planet formed. Only a few Earth rocks are known that formed during the
Hadean Eon and no fossils of Hadean age are known, making it difficult to subdivide the
Hadean Eon based on fossils.

ARCHEAN EON
• Greek for “ancient”. There are few fossils among the rocks and they are not preserved well
enough to allow for finely tuned subdivision of this eon that spanned from 3.8 to 2.5 billion
years ago.
• It was a time when the planet was inhospitable to life. However, it was during this time that
life on earth started to appear since the oldest dated bacterial microfossil were 3.5 billion
years old.
• The fossil record does indicate that life began on Earth 3.2 to 3.5 billion years ago, although
the exact date is uncertain.

PROTEROZOIC EON
• Greek for “earlier life”. Diverse groups of fossils have been found in sedimentary rocks, 2.5
billion to 543 million years ago.
• It was a time of many important geologic events: appearance of stable continents, bacterial,
and archaean fossils, and eukaryotic cells.
• The most complex are multicellular and have different kinds of cells arranged into tissues
and organs.
• Few types of shell-bearing organisms have been identified, but shelled organisms did not
become abundant until the Paleozoic Era.

PHANEROZOIC EON
• Phaneros is Greek for “evident”. Sedimentary rocks cover the most recent 543 million years
of geologic time and contained abundant fossils.
• Four changes occurred at the beginning of Phanerozoic time that greatly improved the fossil
record:

Author: Laugo, Angie Flor A. / Monter, Lovely Fe G.

School/Station: Socorro National High School
Division: SIARGAO
email address: angieflor.arcular@deped.gov.ph/lovelyfe.monter@deped.gov.ph
 1. The number of species with shells and skeletons dramatically increased.
2. The total number of individual organisms preserved as fossils increased greatly.
3. The total number of species preserved as fossils increased greatly.
4. The average sizes of individual organisms increased.

Paleozoic Era
• Began about 544 million years ago and lasted about 300 million years, during which
time sea levels rose and fell worldwide, allowing shallow seas to cover the continents and
marine life to flourish – from marine invertebrates to fishes, amphibians and reptiles.
• The Paleozoic Era is divided into six (6) major periods: Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian,
Devonian, Carboniferous, and Permian.

a. Cambrian Period
Almost all marine organisms came into existence as evidence by abundant fossils. A
most important event is the development of organisms having the ability to secrete
calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate for the formation of shells.
b. Ordovician Period
All major group of animals that could be preserved as fossils had appeared. This
period marks the earliest appearance of vertebrates – the jawless fish known as agnatha.
c. Silurian Period
The Silurian brought about the emergence of terrestrial life, the earliest being the
terrestrial plants with well-developed circulatory system (vascular plants). As plants
move ashore so did other terrestrial organisms. Air-breathing scorpions and millipedes
were common during the period.
d. Devonian Period
This period is known as the “age of fishes”. Lowland forests of seed ferns, scale trees
and true ferns flourished. Sharks, insects, and bony fishes developed. Today the lung
fishes and coelacanth, a “living fossil” have such internal nostrils and breathe in a
similar way. The first amphibians made their appearance, although able to live on land,
they need to return to water to lay their eggs.
e. Carboniferous period
Warm, moist climate conditions contributed to lash vegetation and dense swampy
forests. Insects under rapid evolution led to such diverse forms of giant cockroaches and
dragonflies. The evolution of the first reptiles took place with the development of the
amniotic egg, a porous shell containing a membrane that provided an environment for
an embryo.
• Ice covers large areas of the earth; swamps cover low lands; first mosses; great coal-
forming forests form; seed ferns grow; winged insects appear
f. Permian Period
The reptiles were well-suited to their environment that they ruled the Earth for 200
million years. The two major groups of reptiles – diapsids and synapsids dominated this
period. Diapsids gave rise to the dinosaurs. Synapsis gave rise to mammals.

Mesozoic Era
• Known as the age of reptiles, it is made up of three periods: Triassic, Jurassic, and
Cretaceous. The most significant event was the rise of the dinosaurs.
• A famous Jurassic deposit is the Morrison Formation, within which the world’s richest
storehouse of dinosaurs was preserved. True pines and redwoods appeared and rapidly
spread. Flowering plants arose and their emergence accelerated the evolution of insects. A
major event of this era was the breakup of Pangea.
• By the end of this period, the dinosaurs and reptiles were completely wiped out.
a. Triassic Period- “Age of reptiles” begins; first mammals; corals, insects, and fishes
resemble modern types.
b. Jurassic Period- the Rocky Mountains rise; first birds; palms and cone bearing tress
dominant; large dinosaurs thrive; primitive mammals developed.

Author: Laugo, Angie Flor A. / Monter, Lovely Fe G.

School/Station: Socorro National High School
Division: SIARGAO
email address: angieflor.arcular@deped.gov.ph/lovelyfe.monter@deped.gov.ph
 c. Cretaceous Period- First flowering plant; placental mammals developed; dinosaurs die
out, as do many marine animals at the end of the period.

Cenozoic Era
• This era is known as the “age of mammals” because mammals replaced reptiles as the
dominant land animal. It is also sometimes called “age of flowering plants” because
angiosperms replaced gymnosperms as the dominant land plants.
• Cenozoic era is made up of two periods: Tertiary and Quaternary. From oldest to youngest
the periods are broken up into the Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene
for the Tertiary period, and the Pleistocene and Holocene for the Quaternary period.
Climates cooled during this era, hence the widespread glaciation.
• This era also brought about the advent of humans. The lowered sea level resulted in the
“land bridges” connections between land masses. One of these land bridges provided the
route for the human migration from Asia to North America, also throughout the world.
a. Paleogene Period
• Paleocene Epoch- beginning of “age of mammals”; flowering plants and small
mammals abundant; many different climates existed.
• Eocene Epoch- fossils of “dawn horse”; grasslands and forest present; many small
mammals; larger mammals such as whales, rhinoceros, and monkeys begin to
develop.
• Oligocene Epoch- fossils of primitive apes; elephants, camels, and horses developed;
climate generally mild.
b. Neogene Period
• Miocene Epoch- many grazing animals; flowering plants and tress resemble modern
types.
• Pliocene Epoch- fossils of ancient humans near end of epoch; many birds, mammals
and sea life similar to modern types; climate cools.
c. Quaternary Period
• Pleistocene Epoch- “The Ice Age”; modern humans present; mammoths and other
animals become extinct.
• Holocene Epoch- Humans are the dominant forms of life and civilization begins and
spread.

Author: Laugo, Angie Flor A. / Monter, Lovely Fe G.

School/Station: Socorro National High School
Division: SIARGAO
email address: angieflor.arcular@deped.gov.ph/lovelyfe.monter@deped.gov.ph
Activity 1. Fill me In!

What you need: Long bond paper and ballpen.

What to do:
1. Copy the table below on a long bond paper.
2. Complete the table by filling in the missing periods, significant event of the era, and the
organisms that first appeared in each period. Select your answers for the last column from
the box below.
Bird Air-breathing animals Fish
Amphibian Dinosaurs Land plants
Mammals Reptiles Modern Humans
Mosses Flowering plants Eukaryotic cells
Bacteria multicellular Organisms Archaean fossil
Dawn horse Grazing animals
Marine Organisms bacterial microfossils

Organisms present in
Eon Era Period Significant Events of the Era
each Period
P Cenozoic

N Mesozoic

O Paleozoic

P
R
Proterozoic Eon
E
C
A
M
Archean Eon
B
R
I
A Hadean Eon
N

Author: Laugo, Angie Flor A. / Monter, Lovely Fe G.

School/Station: Socorro National High School
Division: SIARGAO
email address: angieflor.arcular@deped.gov.ph/lovelyfe.monter@deped.gov.ph
 Activity 2. Discover that Human In You!

What you need: Ballpen and paper

What to do:
1. Read and understand the article inside the box and answer the guide question below.

Anthropocene Epoch
Earth’s history is divided into a hierarchical series of smaller chunks of time, referred to as the
geologic time scale. These divisions, in descending length of time, are called eons, eras, periods,
epochs, and ages.
These units are classified based on Earth’s rock layers, or strata, and the fossils found within
them. From examining these fossils, scientists know that certain organisms are characteristic of
certain parts of the geologic record. The study of this correlation is called stratigraphy.
Officially, the current epoch is called the Holocene, which began 11,700 years ago after the last
major ice age. However, the Anthropocene Epoch is an unofficial unit of geologic time, used to describe
the most recent period in Earth’s history when human activity started to have a significant impact on
the planet’s climate and ecosystems. The word Anthropocene is derived from the Greek words
anthropo, for “man,” and cene for “new,” coined and made popular by biologist Eugene Stormer and
chemist Paul Crutzen in 2000.
Scientists still debate whether the Anthropocene is different from the Holocene, and the term
has not been formally adopted by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), the
international organization that names and defines epochs. The primary question that the IUGS needs
to answer before declaring the Anthropocene an epoch is if humans have changed the Earth system
to the point that it is reflected in the rock strata.
To those scientists who do think the Anthropocene describes a new geological time period, the
next question is, when did it begin, which also has been widely debated. A popular theory is that it
began at the start of the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s, when human activity had a great impact
on carbon and methane in Earth’s atmosphere. Others think that the beginning of the Anthropocene
should be 1945. This is when humans tested the first atomic bomb, and then dropped atomic bombs
on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The resulting radioactive particles were detected in soil samples
globally.
In 2016, the Anthropocene Working Group agreed that the Anthropocene is different from the
Holocene, and began in the year 1950 when the Great Acceleration, a dramatic increase in human
activity affecting the planet, took off.

Guide Question
1. What is the impact of human beings despite their brief existence on Earth? Discuss your
answer in three to five sentences.

Scoring Rubric for Guide Question

3 points Practical application is scientifically explained consistent to the concepts,
and has no misconception.
2 points Practical application is scientifically explained consistent to the concepts,
but with minimal misconception.
1 point Practical application is explained consistent to the concepts, but with
misconceptions.
0 point No discussion.

Author: Laugo, Angie Flor A. / Monter, Lovely Fe G.

School/Station: Socorro National High School
Division: SIARGAO
email address: angieflor.arcular@deped.gov.ph/lovelyfe.monter@deped.gov.ph
 Reflection

As a grade 11 student, how did your community evolve for the last 5 years? How do you
think it will be 10 years from now? Discuss your answer in three to five sentences.

Scoring Rubric for Reflection

3 points Practical application is scientifically explained consistent to the concepts, and has
no misconception.
2 points Practical application is scientifically explained consistent to the concepts, but with
minimal misconception.
1 point Practical application is explained consistent to the concepts, but with
misconceptions.
0 point No discussion.

References for learners:

Dela Pena, Renato Jr. H., 2016. Earth Science. Pasay City: JFS Publishing Services.

Laylay, Marilou H. et.al., 2007. Evolution and Natural Selection. Mandaluyong City: Merryland
Publishing Corporation.

Macarayo, Carrie M., 2020. Earth and Life Science. Cagayan de Oro City: Department of
Education, Division of Cagayan de Oro

National Geographic, 2020. Anthropocene Epoch. https :/ /www. Nationalgeographic .org/

encyclopedia/anthropocene/

Salandanan, Gloria G. et.al., 2016. Earth and Life Science. Quezon City: Lorimar Publishing INC.

Author: Laugo, Angie Flor A. / Monter, Lovely Fe G.

School/Station: Socorro National High School
Division: SIARGAO
email address: angieflor.arcular@deped.gov.ph/lovelyfe.monter@deped.gov.ph
 email address: angieflor.arcular@deped.gov.ph/lovelyfe.monter@deped.gov.ph
Division: SIARGAO
School/Station: Socorro National High School
Author: Laugo, Angie Flor A. / Monter, Lovely Fe G.
Acivity 1
Significant Events of the Organisms present in
Eon Era Period
Era each Period
P Cenozoic Quaternary Humans are the dominant Modern humans
forms of life and civilization
H Neogene begins and spread; Ice Age; Grazing animals,
“age of mammals”; “age of flowering plants
flowering plants”; fossils of
A Paleogene Dawn horse
“dawn horse”; grasslands and
forest present; climate cools;
N existence of “land bridges” that
connected land masses.
E Mesozoic Cretaceous Known as the age of reptiles; Flowering Plants
rise of the dinosaurs; A
R famous Jurassic deposit is the
Morrison Formation, True
O pines and redwoods appeared
Jurassic Bird
and rapidly spread. Flowering
plants arose and their
Z
emergence accelerated the
evolution of insects; breakup
O of Pangea; the dinosaurs and
Triassic reptiles were completely wiped Mammals, dinosaurs
I out at the end of the era.
Paleozoic Permian Time sea levels rose and fell Reptiles
C worldwide, allowing shallow
Carboniferous seas to cover the continents Mosses
and marine life to flourish –
from marine invertebrates to
Devonian fishes, amphibians and
Amphibian
reptiles.
Silurian Air-breathing animals,
Land Plants
Ordoovician Fish
Cambrian Marine Organisms
Appearance of stable Archaean fossils,
P continents, bacterial and bacteria, eukaryotic
Proterozoic Eon archaean fossils and
R cells
eukaryotic cells.
E
C It was a time when the planet Bacterial microfossil
A was inhospitable to life.
M Archean Eon However, it was during this
time that life on earth started
B
to appear.
R
Earliest time in Earth history; None
I Only few Earth rocks are
A Hadean Eon known and no fossils are
N known; formation of solar
system and planets.
Answer Key
 email address: angieflor.arcular@deped.gov.ph/lovelyfe.monter@deped.gov.ph
Division: SIARGAO
School/Station: Socorro National High School
Author: Laugo, Angie Flor A. / Monter, Lovely Fe G.
Reflection. Activity 2. Students’ answer may vary.
Students’ answer may vary based on their Possible Answer:
observation from their own community.
Human activities have impacted the planet
in very clear terms: mass extinction,
mining, radioactivity from use of atomic
bomb or nuclear power plants, global
warming, environmental distraction.