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Period: 541 BCE to 485
Cambrian Period
Most notable event that occurred was the Cambrian Explosion, many different creatures came into existence. Earth was cold but gradually warming. Rodinia broke apart. -
Period: 485 BCE to 443 BCE
Ordovician Period
Most of the northern part of Earth was just ocean. This period is most known for its diverse marine invertebrates. Earth was warm, with lots of moisture in atmosphere. Mass extinction of 60% of all marine invertebrate. When supercontinent Gondwana settled on the South Pole glaciers formed and sea levels dropped. -
Period: 443 BCE to 419 BCE
Silurian Period
Climate was relatively stable, causing large glaciers to melt and sea levels to rise substantially. A large period of evolution in fishes, and coral reefs made a first appearance. -
Period: 419 BCE to 358 BCE
Devonian Period
Supercontinent Gondwana began to drift North. Sea levels were still high and most of the land up North was underwater. Climate was warm and relatively dry. Extensive reef ecosystems. First fishes with true bones, gills, and teeth. A mass extinction of 70% of invertebrate species, but most terrestrial plants and animals were largely unaffected. -
Period: 358 BCE to 298 BCE
Carboniferous Period
Mild climate. The amniote egg evolved and allowed animals to lay their eggs on land without fear of desiccation. Many trees grew in vast lowland swamp forests, which removed a large amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and added a surplus of oxygen, due to this, Insects evolved and were now ginormous, and amphibians were evolving as well. -
Period: 298 BCE to 251 BCE
Permian Period
Pangaea's emergence was causing severe extremes of climate and environment. South was cold and very dry, much of the region was now frozen under ice caps; Northern region suffered from great heat and fluctuations between dry and wet conditions. When the series of volcanic eruptions put a lot of debris into the atmosphere and the sun was blocked out, it wiped out 90% of marine species and 70% of land animals. -
Period: 251 BCE to 201 BCE
Triassic Period
First dinosaurs appeared, and Pangea was fully formed but almost immediately started to fall apart. -
Period: 201 BCE to 145 BCE
Jurassic Period
Earth's climate was now humid and subtropical. Dinosaurs, birds, and rodents had now evolved. The breakup of Pangea continued and accelerated, and new oceans were flooding the gaps it made as it broke apart. Dinosaurs were the most dominant species. -
Period: 145 BCE to 66 BCE
Cretaceous Period
Climate had begun to cool, dinosaurs still primarily dominated until the meteor struck Earth and caused the mass extinction that killed over 75% of the species. -
Period: 65 BCE to 2 BCE
Tertiary Period
Pangaea had now been splitting apart for 100 mill years, and now the continents were positioned in a relatively modern way. The climate was warm initially but began to cool widespread. Mammals had replaced the reign of the dinosaurs, and all non-avian dinosaurs were extinct in the beginning of the period. Towards the end of this period was the occurrence of the most recent Ice Age. -
Period: 2 to
Quaternary Period
The Eltanin meteor hit the deep ocean, creating a tsunami that hit most coasts and blasted debris into the atmosphere, pushing the already cooling climate to it's brink and starting the Ice Age. Humans had formed, they managed to survive and eventually evolved to their modern form. A mass extinction that killed 75% of the newly evolved animals of the Ice Age occurred due to changing habitats, increasing sea levels that re-submerged the land bridge, and rising temps.