Geological time scale and its naming history

Geological Time Scale

Eon(宙)-Era(代)-Period(纪)-Epoch(世)-age(期)

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+-- Hadean (冥古宙,冥王Hades, 代表地狱一般的地球初期)
|
+-- Archean(太古宙,the first form of life)
|
+-- Proterozoic(元古宙,early life)
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+-- Phanerozoic (显生宙,phanerós: 可见的)
	|
	+ -- Paleozoic(古生代,古代生物)
	|	| -- Cambrian(寒武纪)
	|	| -- Ordovician(奥陶纪)
	|	| -- Silurian(志留纪)
	|	| -- Devonian(泥盘纪)
	|	| -- Carboniferous(石炭纪)
	|	| -- Permian(二叠纪)
	|
	+ -- Mesozoic(中生代,爬行动物)
	|	| -- Triassic (evolution of Mammal)
	|	| -- Jurassic
	|	| -- Cretaceous
	|
	+ -- Cenozoic(新生代,哺乳动物)
		|
		+ -- Paleogene
		|	| -- Paleocene
		|	| -- Ecocene
		|	| -- Oligocene
		|
		+ -- Neogene
		|	| -- Miocene
		|	| -- Pliocene
		|
		+ -- Quanternary
			| -- Pleistocene
			| -- Holocene

Naming History

  • Cambrian - The Latin name of Wales
  • Ordovician: a Welsh tribe, Ordovices
  • Silurian - another tribe of Wales, Silures
  • Devonian - Name after the Devon County, the era of fish
  • Carboniferous - “coal-bearing”
  • Cretaceous - Chalk (Latin: Creta)

Life evolution and important climate events

  • LUCA 3.5-3.8 Ga (Procaryote)
  • GOE: 2.4-2.0 Ga
  • Eucaryote: 2.2 Ga
  • Snowball Earth: (2.4 Ga after the GOE; 0.75 to 0.635 Ga)
  • Multicelluar organism: 1.4 Ga (diverse cells start to emerge)
  • Ediacaran biota: 0.68 Ga (after the second Snowball Earth)
  • The first metazoan (Saccorhytus) and the first vertebate (昆明鱼和云南虫)
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