Geology in Saskatchewan

By louis.fafard
  • 4600 BCE

    Archean

    The Earth is Formed
  • 2500 BCE

    Proterozoic

    2500 Saskatchewan is part of a large ancient continent
    2100 Break up of the ancient continent, creation of a large ocean
    1900 Volcanoes in SK
    1850 Wathaman Batholith (an intrusion of magma under the surface)
    1800 Orogeny (mountain building) Trans-Hudson Orogen
    Earth changes from an anoxygenic environment to an oxygenic environment
    Martin Sandstone is deposited with Stromatolites (mounds created by blue
    green algae)
    1700 Erosion of the mountains
    1300 Uranium deposited
  • 544 BCE

    Phanerozoic Paleozoic Cambrian

    SK covered by the epicontinental Sauk Sea
    Hard shelled invertebrates including Trilobites
  • 489 BCE

    Phanerozoic Paleozoic Ordovician

    478 Meteorite hits SK, leaving behind the Carswell Meteorite Crater
    470 Tyndall Stone deposited as massive limestone
    390 Winnipegosis Reefs are deposited, later to become a trap for oil deposits
    385 Potash is deposited in the shallow sea that covers SK
    355 First amphibians
  • 481 BCE

    Phanerozoic Paleozoic Devonian

    forest started forming, in this time there were the first successful tress.
    and the first land living vertebrates appeared during this time
  • 433 BCE

    Phanerozoic Paleozoic Silurian

    390 Winnipegosis Reefs are deposited, later to become a trap for oil deposits
    385 Potash is deposited in the shallow sea that covers SK
  • 360 BCE

    Phanerozoic Paleozoic Carboniferous

    355 First amphibians
  • 300 BCE

    Phanerozoic Paleozoic Permian

    was the largest mass extinction the earth has know
  • 253 BCE

    Phanerozoic Mesozoic Triassic

    248 Mass extinction in the oceans, 90% of the species disappear
    245 First dinosaurs
    220 First mammals
    213 SK is again covered by a shallow sea
  • 200 BCE

    Phanerozoic Mesozoic Jurassic

    the supercontinent Pangaea split apart
    at this time there was dinosaurs
  • 144 BCE

    Phanerozoic Mesozoic Cretaceous

    100 Diamonds are brought to the surface of SK in volcanic pipes
    75 Shallow sea begins to retreat
    70 Swamps. rivers and lakes form the badlands.
    Lignite (brown coal) is formed from the plants deposited in swamps.
    66 Triceratops roam SK
    65 Extinction of the dinosaurs
  • 65 BCE

    Cenozoic Tertiary Paleocene

    the climate was very tropical in Saskatchewan at the time
  • 55 BCE

    Cenozoic Tertiary Eocene

    50 Climate changes, Saskatchewan plateau develops.
  • 34 BCE

    Cenozoic Tertiary Oligocene

    there was lots of grass and trees and everything was blooming
  • 23 BCE

    Cenozoic Tertiary Miocene

    the climate was worming up and 90% of the plants we see today were at this time
  • 5 BCE

    Cenozoic Tertiary Pliocene

    at this time tech tonic plates were moving so mountains were forming
  • 2 BCE

    Cenozoic Quaternary Pleistocene

    2 Ice age begins, covering SK except for the Cypress Hills area
    Diamonds covered by glacial till
    .05 Bison come to North America
    .02 Humans come to North America
  • 1 CE

    Cenozoic Quaternary Holocene

    Origin of the Prairies