Lesson 11: History of the Earth Objective: In this lesson, you will learn to: 1. Deseribe how layers of rocks (stratified rocks) are formed Describe the different methods (relative and absolute dating) of determining the age of stratified rocks 3. Explain how relative and absolute dating were used to determine the subdivisions of geologic time 4, Describe how index fossils (also known as guide fossils) are used to define and identify subdivisions of the geologic time scale 5. Describe the history of the Earth through geologic time Establishing the Timeline of the Life on Earth In the last module, we have learned about the different processes that shape the surface of the Earth. The different geologic processes that occur on and below the surface of the earth are the main reason why earth is a dynamic planet that is composed of various landforms. These processes took how old is our planet Earth? many years to develop, which leads to the ques In this module, we will tackle how old the earth is. This includes studying the dating methods ‘that people use in order to determine the timeline of the life on Earth, which will help us know the age of our blue planet. Formation of Rock Layers With the help of scientific dating methods, humans now have an idea of how old the planet Earth is. But the layers of rocks can tell us more about Earth's long history. ‘Throughout the history of Earth, organisms have come into existence and disappeared. Nevertheless, they have left remains, which were gradually buried under piles of soil and turned into fossils through time. ‘The presence of these fossils helps the geologists figure out the date of the rocks by means of correlation, They use index fossils to establish geologic timescales of rock. This is done by matching the fossil with the established period of its existence. Scientists are able to establish the geologic sequence of fossils that lived on Earth using this index. The index fossils serve as markers which work on the premise thet if 2 certain fossil was found near an identified fossil, it can be assumed that both fossils are from the same period.(Source: www.globalchange.umich.edu) ‘The geologic time scale of the earth is divided into different time periods: the Precambrian and the Phanerozoic Eon. ‘The Precambrian Eon is the period starting from the formation of Earth. It is divided into three eras: Hadean Era, is the time period which began with the formation of Earth around 4.6 bi ‘years ago, and ended 4 billion years ago. No rocks on the Earth are this old, except for meteorites. It was around this time period that the Solar System was forming. Next to Hadean era is the Archean Era, the Archaean rocks are the oldest known rocks, and contains the oldest fossils of life on Earth. This peri ago. It is characterized as the time period when the first life appears. Itis also said to be the time when the plate tectonics were first established.it was also during the Archaean Era that the first photosynthetic bacteria came into existence. Next is the Proterozoic Era, which extended from 2.5 billion to 542 million years ago. This geologic time period is divided into three eras: the Paleoproterozoic (2.5 to 1.6 billion years ago}, Mesoproterozoic (1.6 to 1 bil ‘years ago), and Neoproterozoic (1 billion to $42 milion years ago). This is the ‘time period when stable continents first appered. The first abundant fossils of lx ‘of mostly bacteria and archaeans, are also found. ing orgenisms, consistis ‘The first evidence of oxygen build-up in the atmosphere first came in the Source: uemp.berkeley.edu Mesopraterozoic era. This change made possible the existence of eukaryotic forms. Towards the end of Proterozoic, the first animals came into existence. ‘The Phanerozoic Eon extends from 542 million years ago to the present time. This is divided into three different eras: the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Era. Paleozoic Era ‘The Paleozoic Era is approximately 300 million years (542 million years ago to 251 million years ago). It is marked by two of the most significant events in Earth’s history. At the beginning of this era, multi-celled animals underwent a dramatic "explosion" in diversity, and almost all living animal phyla appeared within a few millions of years. But by the end of the Paleozoic, the largest mass extinction in history wiped out approximately 90% of all marine animal species. This era is divided into six periods: the Cambrian, Ordovician Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous (in the U.S, this is divided into Pennsylvanian and Mississippian periods), and Permian. The Cambrian Period marks the first important event in the Paleozoic Era and in the history of life on Earth in general. The “Cambrian Explosion”, is what sci ‘wherein a huge diversity of life forms occurred within a relatively short time. Itis also the period ‘when most of the major groups of animals first appeat 5 call the event ‘the fossil record, Among the animals that evolved during this period were the chordates (animals with a dorsal nerve cord), brachiopods (hard-bodied life forms resembling clams), and arthropods (ancestors of spiders, insects and crustaceans). Trilobites are among the most dominant invertebrates that existed during the Cambrian Period. Source: www.drydredgers.org‘The Ordovician Period began 488.3 million years ago and ended 443.7 million years 280. This period lasted for 45 million years. During this period, most of the world’s land was collected into the southern supercontinent called Gondwana. This period is characterized by diverse marine invertebrates ‘which includes graptolites, trilobites, brachiopods, and the conadonts (early vertebrates). In the later years of this period evidences of plants living on land are also found. During this period, the Earth experienced a milder climate. It was also during this period ‘that glaciers formed, which caused shallow seas to drain and sea levels to drop. This was the likely cause of the mass extinctions which occurred at the end of Ordovician, eliminating 60% of all marine invertebrate genera. ‘The Silurian Period (443.7 to 416 million years ago) was a time when major changes on ‘One of the effects of these major ‘changes is the melting of large glacial formations which contributed to the rise in levels of the the Earth's environment occurred, affecting the life within major seas. This is also the period when the planet's general climate began to relatively stabilize. It is during this period that coral reefs made their first appearance. This period is also when ‘the evolution of fishes took place. The Silurian marks the appearances Of the first known freshwater fish. The Devonian Period (416 to 359.2 million years ago) took place when the planet was changing its appearance: the —_great supercontinent of Gondwana was headed steadily northward, away from the South Pole, and a second supercantinent began to form. This was a period of great tectonic activity, as Laurasia and Gondwana drew closer together. Armored Placaderm is among the many varieties of {fishes that occurred during the Silurian and Devonian Period. (Source: geologyproecti 1.wordpress.com) It was also known as the Age of Fishes, as it is the period when a remarkable variety of fishes ‘came into existence. The most formidable class of these fishes is the plecodermi (from the Greek words plox meaning “plate” and “-cerma” meaning skin, hence “plate-skinned”). They are 2 class of armored prehistoric fish which lived from the Silurian to the end of Devonian Period. ‘They have powerful jaws lined with bladelike plates that acted as teeth. Early placoderms fed on mollusks and other invertebrates, but later species developed into ferocious, fish-slicing monsters measuring up to 33 feet (10 meters) long. Nevertheless, these primitive fishes were not build to last. The Devonian ancestors of the fishes today are actually from two main non- armored groups.‘These two groups are the cartilaginous fish and the bony fish. The cartilaginous fish, so- called because cartilage farmed thelr skeletons, later gave rise to sharks and rays. They had small, rough scales, fixed fins, and sharp, replaceable teeth. The second group, the bony fish, ‘were covered in scales and had maneuverable fins and gas-filled swim bladders for controlling ‘their buoyancy. Most modern fishes are bony fish. ‘The bony fish included lobefins, Named after the thick, fleshy base to their fins, lobefins are credited with the giant evolutionary stride that led to the amphibians, making lobefins the ancestors of all four-limbed land vertebrates, including dinosaurs and mammals. The fossils of ‘these remarkable animals come from the red rocks of Devon, Some lobefins are still around today, such as the famous " ‘The Carboniferous Period began about 359.2 million years ago and ended at 299 million years ago. The word carboniferous refers to the rich deposits that occur throughout northern Europe, Asia, and Midwestern and eastern North America. It is during this period that ‘the fossil fuels that we are using today came from. Earth during this period generally had a more uniform, tropical, and humid climate than today. Thus, the Carboniferous plants resemble the tropical plants of present time. During this period, the collision of Laurasia and Gondwanaland taok place, gradually forming the supercontinent known as Pangaea, In the United States, the Carboniferous P and Pennsylvanian periods. These two period were distinguished by their stratigraphy: the Mississippian period of North America consisted mainly of marine creatures. The Pennsylvanian stratigraphy, on the other hand, was alternately terrestrial and marine. 1d was further classified into Mississ! Lastly, the Permian Period (299 to 251 million years ago) marks the last period of the Paleozoic Era. itis in this period that the largest mass extinction in the history of the Earth took place. This event affected groups of organisms in many different environments, most of which are marine communities. During this period, most of the continents met in Pangaea, with Asia the only continent broken up at that time, Most of the rest of the surface area of the planet was occupied by the single ocean which was called Panthalassa and a smaller sea on the east of Pangaea known as Tethys. ‘The emergence of the supercontinent Pangaea presented severe extremes of climate and environment due to its vast size. The southern part of the continent was cold and arid, and mostly frozen under ice caps. The northern part of the continent suffered from extreme heat and seasonal fluctuations between wet and dry conditions. This led to the occurrence of conifers, seed ferns and other drought-resistant plants. It is also during the Permian period that the early reptiles walked on earth. They are able ‘to survive the harsh environment thanks to their thicker, moisture-retaining skins. But as they are cold-blooded animals, they had to find ways to be able to survive the daily variations in ‘temperature, from below freezing at night to over 100°F at day.It was between the end of Permian P: Age of Dinosaurs began and the begin 1g of Mesozoic Era that the Mesozoic Era ‘The Mesozoic Era is divided into three time periods: the Triassic (251 to 199.6 million years ago), the Jurassic (199.6 to 145.5 million years ago), and the Cretaceous (145.5 to 65.6 million years ago). Mesozoic means “middle animals", and in this period, the world fauna made a drastic change from that of the Paleozoic era. Itis during this era that the dinosaurs flourished. During this era, a great change in the terrestrial vegetation took place. Early Mesozoic era was dominated by ferns, cyads, and other unusual plants. The Triassic period was a time of transition: it was the time that the supercontinent Pangaea began to break apart, dividing into the Gondwana South America, Africa, India, Antarctica, and Australia) in the south and Laurasia (North America and Eurasia) in the north. ‘This was due to the sea floor spreading at the mid-oceen ridge lying at the bottom of Tethys sea. The Jurassic period was a period filled with dinosaurs, bi landmasses, forests of ferns, cyads, and conifers, and inland seas filled with sea monsters, sharks, and blood-red plankton. The breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea accelerated, the Lauresia breaking up into North America and Eurasia, while Gondwana split into eastern and 's, and rodents, crumbling, western portions, forming Antarctica, Madagascar, India, and Australia, Africa, and South America, During this period, huge dinosaurs walked on earth. The Brachiosaurus stood up to 52 feet tall, and 85 feet in length. The Diplodocus, a sauropod was 90 feet long, The earliest known bird, Archaeopteryx, existed during the late Jurassic. Mammals also came into existence, but ‘they are yet to dominate the lands until the end of the Cretaceous period. The Mesozoic Era is known as the Age of Dinosaurs. It is during this time period that these ‘formidable prehistoric creatures roamed the Earth, (Source: planetdi.starlogic.com)Cretaceous Period was the period when the break-up of the world-continent Pangaea began to disperse. This separation of land masses led to increased regional differences in flora and fauna between the northern and southern continents. Perhaps the most important event that took place at this geological period would be the first appearance of flowering plants, or the angiosperms. They first appeared around 125 mi years ago. Early angiosperms did nat develop shrub- or tree-like morphologies, but by the end of ‘the Cretaceous period a number of these forms had evolved into the plants that we recognize nowadays. ‘This period is usually noted as the last part of the “Age of Dinosaurs”. The most famous of all mass extinctions took place at the end of Cretaceous Period, about 65 million years ago. This was the great extinction in which the dinosaurs died out, except the birds. The worldwide mass extinction is also known as the Cretaceous ~ Tertiary (K ~ T) extinction, It is said some three quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth, suddenly became extinct, There is no precise explanation as to why this happened; while there were many theories from an asteroid impact to a proper evidence to find out the cause of this worldwide extinction. jant volcanic eruption, scientists are yet to find Cenozoic Era ‘The K~T extinction marks the end of the Cretaceous period. This became the beginning of the Cenozoic Era, 2 period which extends until the present. This is also divided into two periods: Paleogene and Neogene. The Paleogene Period (also called Tertiary] extended from 65.5 to 23.08 million years ‘ago and is the beginning of the Cenozoic era. At the dawn of this time period the dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and giant marine reptiles were conspicuously absent from the face of the Earth. It ‘was the geological time period notable for the diversity of mammals that occurred and dominated the Earth after the Cretaceous — Tertiary extinction. Paleagene period is divided into three epochs ~ the Paleocene, Eocene, and Oligocene. ‘The first of these epochs is the Paleocene (from the Greek words palaios, meaning “ancient” and kuinos, meaning “recent”). During the Paleocene epoch, the Earth was still recovering from the K ~T extinction, The planet's climate at time was subtropical almost to the polar circles, and polar ice caps were absent. The temperature of the oceans was also high. Land bridges still existed, connecting North America, Asia, and Europe, while North and South America remained connected to each other. At that time, Africa, Australia, and India were island continents or subcontinents. Mammals began to take over after the extinction of the dinosaurs, and evolved into many different species. Another mass extinction took place at the end of the Paleocene, which was caused by the abrupt warming of the climate, which was followed by the release of a large volume ofmethane contained in seafloar sediments. This also led to the major reorganization of many terrestrial and marine communities. ‘The Eocene epoch follows the Paleocene, a period that began as a time of global ‘warming across the world. During this period the forests thrived and trees grew even in polar regions, Eventually, the temperature coals down and becomes drier. As for the landmasses, India drifted upwards to the Eurasian continent, the mass of rocks thrust up between them farmed the Himalayas. Oligocene epoch is the transition period between the earlier and later Tertiary period. It is during this period that the Australasian landmass separated from Antarctica. The geographical changes that occurred during Oligacene influenced the climate and therefore vegetation and ultimately the development of animals. The changing seasons gave rise to warm-blooded animals. After the Paleogene Period was the Neagene period. This period took place before the Quaternary Period and follows the Peleogene period. it was divided into two epochs: the Miocene and Pliocene. ‘The Miocene epoch is a time of warmer global climates compared those in the preceding Oligocene or the following Pliocene and it's notable in that two major ecosystems made their first appearances: kelp forests and grasslands. The expansion of grasslands is correlated to a drying of continental interiors as the global climate first warmed and then cooled. Source: fineart.com Open vegetation systems such as deserts, tundra, and grasslands began to expand, wl This change led to many morphological changes in animals. Mammals and birds for example, developed new forms. And by the end of the Miocene, 95% of the modern seed plant families existed. close vegetation systems such as forests began toPliocene (from the Greek words pleion meaning “more” and kainos meaning “recent” is ‘the last of the epoch in Neogene period, and a continuation of the Age of Mammals. The Pliocene represents the beginning of the familiar modern faunas; many of the plants and animals from that time have continued to live and evolve to the present day. Expansion of grasslands and savannahs took place during this period. Appearance of early bipedal ancestors of humans also happened during the Pliocene. ‘The last of the Cenozoic era is the Quaternary Period (2.588 million years ago to present). This is the most recent of Earth’s history. At the start of this period the continents ‘were just about the way they are today, Throughout the early stages of this period the planet ‘wobbled on its path around the sun, which causes ice ages to come and go. The last ice age ended about 10,000 years ago. Sea levels rose rapidly, and the continents achieved their present-day outline, The most recent took place in the earlier years of the Quaternary Period. During this time, animals such as mammoths roamed the planet. (Source: landofthebrave.info) Just like the earlier geologic periods, the Quaternary Period was a time of dramatic climate changes, which affected vegetation and brought about the extinction of many species. ‘This period is divided! into two epachs: Holocene and Pleistocene. The Pleistocene Epoch lasted from about 2.588 million years to 11,700 years ago. The most recent Ica Age occurred during this period, as glaciers covered huge perts of the planet. By the end of this period humans could be found in nearly every part of Earth. ‘The Holocene Epoch, on the other hand, began 12,000 years ago to 11,500 years ago and continues through today. It is also called the Anthropocene Epoch, because it is the period ‘where the global changes were caused by human activity. It is also during this period that large mammals such as mammoth and wooly rhinoceros became extinct, Quaternary period is considered the Age of Humans. Hamo erectus appeared in Africa at the start of the period. As time passed by the hominid line evolved bigger brains and herintelligence. The first madern humans evolved in Africa about 190,000 years ago and dispersed +0 Europe and Asia and then to Australia and in the Americas, Dating Methods: How to Determine to Age of the Earth? While there has been no precise data about it, we do know that the earth is really very old. But it would not be so apparent as the Earth continuously changes its form through time. Weathering, volcanism, erosion, plate tectonics, and seafloor spreading — these are some of the processes which changed the shape of our planet's surface, renewing it every single time. But in the recent years, we are able to have an idea of how old the planet is. Dating methods have been developed and are now used to reconstruct the history of rocks, minerals, and other materials found on Earth, The use of index fossils. Fossils which are commonly found and are widely distributed geographically are called index fossils. They are used in dating other fossils which are found in the same sedimentary layer. Examples of index fossils used are the following: © Ammonites: common during the Mesozoic Era. They were not found after the Cretaceous period for they went extinct during the K-T extinction. ‘© Brachiopods: these mollusk-like marine animals appeared during the Cambrian period. ‘+ Graptolites: widespread colonial marine hemirchordates that lives from the Cambrian to the early mid-Carboniferous period. '* Nanofossils: microscopic fossils from various eras. They are very abundant and are ‘widely distributed geographically, and time-specific due to their high evolutionary rates. ‘They are the primary index fossil for dating marine sediments. * Trilobites: common during Paleozoic Era and went extinct during the late Permian period. Relative dating. It is a method used to determine the relative order of geologic events. This method is done through stratigraphy. itis the branch of geology that deals with the study of stratified rocks, including the description, correlation, and interpretation of stratified sediments and stratified rocks on and in the Earth. ‘The topmost layer of the earth suggests the most recent. Therefore, it is understood that the oldest rocks can be found at the bottom. While this method may not tell the actual numerical date of ‘the rock, it can come up with an estimate time period based on the profile of the strata. This includes ‘the chemical composition, rack type, and presence of organisms. Absolute dating. Using absolute dating methods can help determine which sediments were deposited first, as well as the approximate age of the specimen. In 1896, the French physicist Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity. And in the year 1907 it has been discovered that the lead/uranium ratio in uranium minerals increased with geologic age. This, ‘was how radioactive decay dating (also called radi geological age of the planet. metric dating) became a tool to determine the 10All rocks and minerals have long-lived radioactive elements which were incorporated into Earth ‘when the Solar System formed. These radioai elements serve as clocks which allow geologists to determine how old they were ~ which in turn gives us an idea of how old our planet would be, or how old the fossilized life forms found on the racks are. The oldest rock thet has been discovered in Australia, and it was said to be at least 4.374 billion years. Simply put, Earth could be more than 4 billion years old. The most well-known type of radiometric dating is the radiocarbon dating. It is a process ‘which focuses on the ratio between the number of carbon-14 and carbon-12 isotopes in any once-living being: that ratio indicates how long it's been since that being was alive. But carbon is not the only element that can be dated—a whole host of others exist. In uranium-lead dating for example, the radioactive decay of uranium into lead proceeds at a reliable rate. FryReferences: Schultz, Cali http://www. smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-do-we-know-earth-46-bill 180951483/?no-ist How Do We Know the Age of the Earth? Radiometric Dating. Retrieved from: http://neomaps. wr.usgs.gov/parks/atime/ageofearth html Infoplease. Table of Geological Periods. Retrieved from: http://wwww.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001822.html |. How Do We Know the Earth is 4.6 Billion Years Old? (2014). Retrieved from: n-years-old- University of California Museum of Paleantology. The Proterozoic Eon. Retrieved from: hrtp://www.uemp berkeley. edu/precambrian/proterozoic.phy National Geographic Society. Devonian Period, Age of Fishes information, Prehistoric Facts. Retrieved from; http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/prehistoric-world/devoniany The Cretaceous Period. Retrieved from: http://www.uernp. berkeley. edu/mesozoic/cretaceous/eretaceous. phy Cowen, Richard. The K-T Extinction. Retrieved from: tt://www.uemp. berkeley. edu/education/events/cowen1b.html Paleogene — New World Encyclopedia, Retrieved from: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Paleogene Paleocene: Overview. Retrieved from: http://paleobiology.si.edu/geotime/main/htmiversion/paleocene1 html BBC Nature ~ Eocene Epoch. Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/history of the earth/Eocene Oligocene epach Facts, information, pictures. Retrieved from: http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Oligocene_epoch.aspx National Geographic Society. Quaternary Period. Retrieved from: 2