Earth and

Life Science 11
Earth and Life Science – Grade 11
Quarter 1 – Module12: Geologic Time Scale
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education Division of Pasig City

Development Team of the Self-Learning Module

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Earth and
Life Science 11
Quarter 1
Self-Learning Module 12
Geologic Time Scale
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Earth and Life Science Self-Learning Module 12 on Geologic

Time Scale

This Self-Learning Module was collaboratively designed, developed and

reviewed by educators from the Schools Division Office of Pasig City headed by its
Officer-in-Charge Schools Division Superintendent, Ma. Evalou Concepcion A.
Agustin, in partnership with the City Government of Pasig through its mayor,
Honorable Victor Ma. Regis N. Sotto. The writers utilized the standards set by the K
to 12 Curriculum using the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) in
developing this instructional resource.

This learning material hopes to engage the learners in guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Further, this also aims to help learners
acquire the needed 21st century skills especially the 5 Cs, namely: Communication,
Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Character while taking into
consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that
will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
manage their own learning. Moreover, you are expected to encourage and assist the
learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
 For the Learner:

Welcome to the Earth and Life Science Self-Learning Module 12 on Geologic

Time Scale

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You
will be enabled to process the contents of the learning material while being an active
learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Expectations - This points to the set of knowledge and skills

that you will learn after completing the module.

Pretest - This measures your prior knowledge about the lesson

at hand.

Recap - This part of the module provides a review of concepts

and skills that you already know about a previous lesson.

Lesson - This section discusses the topic in the module.

Activities - This is a set of activities that you need to perform.

Wrap-Up - This section summarizes the concepts and

application of the lesson.

Valuing - This part integrates a desirable moral value in the

lesson.

Posttest – This measures how much you have learned from the
entire module.
 EXPECTATIONS

The module is about the geologic time scale.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Describe how the Earth’s history can be interpreted from the geologic time
scale
2. Identify the different division of the geologic time
3. Classify the different living organisms in each geological time
4. Interpret the Geologic time scale table.

PRETEST

Direction: Choose the letter of the best answer.

1. This period is the age of dinosaurs
a. Cambrian c. Permian
b. Jurassic d. Triassic

2. The longest Eon

a. Archean c. Phanerozoic
b. Hadean d. Proterozoic

3. Large creatures like dinosaurs existed during this period

a. Cretaceous c. Triassic
b. Jurassic d. Cambrian

4. Precambrian time is composed of how many eons?

a. One c. three
b. Two d. four

5. They are the ancestors of reptiles

a. Fish c. Shark
b. Amphibian d. Birds
 RECAP

This is the fossil index; it represents a

group of fossils in different time scale.
The fossils were discovered in different
rock strata and by correlating the rock in
different region, also with the use of relative
and absolute dating, scientist began to trace
the time scale were the organisms belong.

Figure 1: Showing Fossil index

LESSON

GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE

The first basis of mapping and
Table 1: Showing the Geologic Time Scale
determining the history of the Earth was
by looking at the rock layers using relative
dating. With the help of absolute dating,
scientists began to give the numerical
dates of the rock. Geologists also discover
that even in a different region, the rock
strata are correlatedly and relatively same
age of sedimentary rock having the same
sequence.

Fossils are the geological marker used

by geologists to identify which organisms
lived in a certain period. Using this
process, they were able to order the rocks
into the geologic column showing the
correlation of the relative age of the rock
in many regions of the world.

Geologic time scale has four major divisions of time, the Eon, Era, Period, and
Epoch.
Eon – is the largest division. It spans hundreds to thousands of millions of years.
According to Geologist, it is divided into two major eons; the Precambrian time and
phanerozoic eon. Precambrian time is composed of three eons, the Hadean,
Archean, and Proterozoic. This time establishes the formation of the Earth until the
time when multicellular organisms appeared.

Era – the subdivision of eons is the era. The span-time periods are tens to hundreds
of millions of years. There are three major eras: the Paleozoic, the Mesozoic, and the
Cenozoic era.

Periods – one of numerous subdivisions of geologic time allowing cross-referencing

of rocks and geologic events from place to place. Period used to split the hierarchy
divisions of Earth’s history.

Epoch – is a subdivision that is longer than an age and shorter than a period. This
is most commonly used by the younger Cenozoic era wherein the greater collection
of fossils have been found.

EARTH’S HISTORY

Hadean eon – it was name after the Greek god and ruler Hades, which means hell
and was considered as the chaotic eon. The earth was bombarded with meteors
and severe volcanic activities. The atmosphere as well as the ocean were just
forming. The core and the crust were stabilized. Planet Earth during this eon is
inhospitable for life.
Archean eon – at this eon, planet Earth was probably
warm. The atmosphere has no oxygen and mostly
methane content. Earth was covered with ocean and
the continent began to arise during the Archean eon.
There was an abundance of volcanoes during this eon,
the sky is filled with methane. the shoreline was Figure 2: Showing Stromatolites,
the huge colony of cyanobacteria
marked with stromatolites. Stromatolites are defined or blue green algae.
as “laminated organo-sedimentary structure”. it traps
and binds or precipitation of minerals by microorganisms. Fossil stromatolites
establish our earliest and most pervasive record of life on Earth.
Proterozoic eon – It is the longest time scale that lasted almost haft the age of the
Earth. This time period was known as the time for great change. The
atmosphere was filled with oxygen giving the single unit eukaryotic cell to arise,
the appearance of multicellular and animal life. The Continent was also moving
drifting to other regions.
Phanerozoic eon – plants and animals are abundant in this geologic time. It covers
up to 541 million years up to the present.
Phanerozoic eon means visible life. This eon has
three eras: the Paleozoic era, the Mesozoic era, and
the Cenozoic era.
Paleozoic Era – marine organism dominates during Figure 3: Shows the fossil of Trilobites
this era. The fossil trilobites were so common all over
 the world and it has been used in index fossils. Trilobites dominate the ocean
until a marine organism developed teeth and jaws, and armored giant
placoderms become its competition.

In the middle of this era, marine animals developed shells and began to cross
the land. Amphibian successfully adopt and to breath air during the Devonian
period. Plants also evolved and dominate the land developed into giant ferns. It
provided food for growing land animals. Amphibian eventually evolved into
reptiles. The early ancestors of reptiles are most likely like amphibians, but they
were able to lay eggs on the land.

The climate changed, and at the end of this era about 252 million years ago,
almost 70% of land vertebrates and 96% of marine organisms disappeared, this
event is known as the great dying and was the great dying in the Earth’s history.
Table 2. Showing the paleozoic era period and events

PALEOZOIC ERA
Age Period Event
(Million years ago)
299 Permian Rise of reptiles
318 Pennsylvanian Large non-flowering plant
Large amount amphibians,
359 Mississippian
extensive first shark abundant
416 Devonian First amphibian and finest
444 Silurian First land plant
488 Ordovician First vertebrate fish
542 Cambrian Marine-shell invertebrates

Mesozoic Era – This era recovered from the great dying but and it took a million
years ago. Mesozoic means “middle life”, form 245 million years to 65 million
years ago. As Continents are breaking apart or Pangaea, living organisms
developed. This era was known as the age of reptiles, mostly the dinosaurs.
Scientists believed that the ancestor of these dinosaurs in this era were the
survivors of the Paleozoic Era.

Figure 4: Showing the Events of three Mesozoic Eras

 Mesozoic is divided into three periods, the Triassic period, Jurassic period,
and cretaceous period.
At the end of the Triassic and cretaceous period, mass extinction
occurred. This is the second extinction that happened on Earth. It is known
as a Cretaceous Paleogene extinction event. The reason for this is still a
mystery. The Most well-known explanation for this event is the asteroid strike.
But other factors may contribute to extinction. Some of the factors state that
the population may be declining at the time of the strike. However, some of
the species of the dinosaurs survive.
Table 3: This table shows the Mesozoic Era and events

MESOZOIC ERA
Age Period Event
(Million years ago)
145 Cretaceous Fist mammals, extinction of animals
200 Jurassic Age of dinosaurs
251 Triassic First Dinosaurs

Cenozoic era – Cenozoic era is known as the “modern life”. It is also known
as the age of mammals. Mammals dominated after the extinction of the
dinosaurs.

Figure 5: Shows the Cenozoic Periods

Table 4: Shows the Cenozoic eras period and epoch

CENOZOIC ERA
Age Period Epoch
(Million years ago)
0.01 Holocene
Quaternary
1.8 Pleistocene
5.3 Pliocene
23 Miocene (grass abundant)
33.9 Tertiary Oligocene (apes and elephants)
55.8 Eocene (Primitive horse)
65.5 Paleocene (First primates)
 ACTIVITIES

I. Complete the table. Identify the period of the following animals.

Period Organism Major events

1. First amphibian

2. Little seasonal variation

Marine shelled
3.
invertebrates
4. Opening of the red sea

5. First vertebrate fish

6. First dinosaurs

7. Extinction of dinosaurs

8. Rise of reptiles

9. Age of dinosaurs
Large non-flowering
10.
plants

II. Identify the era of the following geologic events.

1. Large creatures exist during this era.

2. A second mass extinction happens during this period.
3. Multicellular organisms exist.
4. Giant ferns and marsh plants are abundant.
5. Human left their marks on the land.
6. Modern rain forest and grassland appear.
7. Marine organisms develop teeth and jaws.
8. Primate walk using two feet.
9. Pangaea broke into pieces
10. Marine invertebrates are in the shallow water.

III. Give the Geologic events on each Era.

IV. Answer the following Question.
1. What is the Correlation between eons, eras, and periods?

2. What are the major extinctions in the geologic time? Describe each.

3. Explain how relative dating contributes to the geologic time scale.

4. Are the principles used to establish relative dates enough to prove the Earth’s
geological past? Explain.

WRAP-UP

I. Complete the geologic time scale.

 VALUING

Geologic time scale gives us an idea of what happened in the past. It gives us
knowledge of what happened in our history. In this activity, you are going to make a
timeline but in reverse, you are going to start today.

Our goal somehow changes during this pandemic due to the current situation.
In this activity, you are going to create your short time and long-time goal using a
timeline. Inside the box, is your time indicator and that would be your goal.

Today’s goal 5 years from now 10 years from now

POSTTEST

Direction: Choose the letter of the best answer.

1. It represents the longest time division in geologic history.

a. Eon c. Era
b. Epoch d. Period
2. This period is also known as the age of the reptiles.
a. Cretaceous c. Jurassic
b. Hadean d. Triassic
3. Which of the following will describe the Mesozoic era?
a. Marine life forms shell
b. Reptiles are abundant
c. The atmosphere is warm and humid
d. Fish are abundant in the shallow water
4. At what era did mammoth dominate the Earth?
a. Cambrian c. Mesozoic
b. Cenozoic d. Triassic
5. This is a huge colony of cyanobacteria that dominated during the
Precambrian time.
a. Dinosaurs c. Stromatolites
b. Placoderms d. Trilobites
 KEY TO CORRECTION

(answers may vary)

II – IV

10.Paleozoic
9. Mesozoic
8. Cenozoic
7. Paleozoic
6. Cenozoic
5. Cenozoic
4. Paleozoic
3. Paleozoic
2. Mesozoic
1. Mesozoic
II.

10.Pennsylvanian
9. Jurassic
8. Permian
7. Cretaceous
6. Triassic
C 5. 5. Ordovician B 5.
B 4. 4. Tertiary C 4.
B 3. 3. Cambrian B 3.
D 2. 2. Mississippian D 2.
A 1. 1. Devonian B 1.
See geologic time scale I. A
Post-test Wrap up Activities Pre-test

References
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Abril. Fossil Trilobite Imprint in the Sediment. January 30, 2017. Deposit Photo.
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Earle, Steven. “The Geological Time Scale.” Libre Text. BCCampus, March 1, 2020.
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