Science

A brief
Description of
Earth's History
Introduction
• The longest span of time is the Precambrian Era,
which includes the Proterozoic, Archean, and Pre-
Archean also called the Hadean.
The Precambrian began when the Earth formed and
ended at the beginning of the Cambrian period, 570
million years ago. The events recounted in the
previous section were all part of the earliest Earth
history, the Hadean. But there was still much more to
come in the Precambrian Era. The geological
principles explained in the earlier chapters of this
book apply to understanding the geological history of
these old times
Precambrian
• The Precambrian is the name
given for the first super eon of
Earth’s history. This division of
time — about seven-eighths of
Earth's history — lasted from
the first formation of the planet
(about 4.6 billion years ago) to
the geologically sudden
The Precambrian is usually
diversification of multicellular
considered to have three eons: the
life known as the Cambrian
Hadean, the Archean and the
Explosion (usually dated at
Proterozoic. Some scientists
about 542 million years ago).
recognize a fourth eon, which they
call the Chaotian, which predates
the others and is the time of the
first formation of our solar system.
Hadean Eon
• The Hadean Eon occurred 4.6 billion to 4 billion years ago. It is named
for the mythological Hades, an allusion to the probable conditions of
this time. During Hadean time, the solar system was forming within a
cloud of dust and gas known as the solar nebula, which eventually
spawned asteroids, comets, moons and planets.
• Astrogeophysicists theorize that about 4.52 billion years ago the proto-
Earth collided with a Mars-size planetoid named Theia. The collision
added about 10 percent to Earth’s mass. Debris from this collision
coalesced to form Earth’s moon. It is hypothesized that Theia’s iron
core sank to the center of the still molten Earth, giving this planet’s core
enough density to begin to cool. Lighter elements “floating” on the
surface began to form a scum of crustal materials. This early crust was
frequently turned and subsumed by the molten interior. There are few
terrestrial rocks from Hadean time, just a few mineral fragments found
in sandstone substrates in Australia. However, study of lunar
formations shows that the Earth/moon system continued to be
bombarded by frequent asteroid collisions throughout the Hadean.
Archean Eon
• Between 4 billion and 2.5 billion years ago,
the continental shield rock began to form.
Approximately 70 percent of continental
landmass was formed during this time. Small
“island” land masses floated in the molten
“seas.” Earth had acquired enough mass to
hold a reducing atmosphere composed of
methane, ammonia and other gases. Water
from comets and hydrated minerals
condensed in the atmosphere and fell as
torrential rain, cooling the planet and filling
the first oceans with liquid water.
• Exactly when or how it happened is

unknown, but microfossils of this time
indicate that life began in the oceans about
3.5 billion to 2.8 billion years ago. It is
probable that these microscopic prokaryotes
began as chemoautotrophs, anaerobic
bacteria able to obtain carbon from carbon
dioxide (CO2). By the end of the Archean,
the ocean floor was covered in a living mat
of bacterial life.
Proterozoic Eon
• The Proterozoic Eon is also called the
Cryptozoic ("age of hidden life").
About 2.5 billion years ago, enough
shield rock had formed to start
recognizable geologic processes such
as plate tectonics. Geology was about
to be joined by biology to continue
Earth’s progress from a molten hell to
a living planet. It is generally accepted
that different types of prokaryotic
organisms formed symbiotic
relationships. Some types, more
efficient at converting energy, were
engulfed by larger protective
“bubbles” able to shield them from the
harsh environment. As time went on
the symbiotic relationship became
permanent and the “energy • The Proterozoic is a geological eon
conversion” components became the spanning the time from the
chloroplasts and mitochondria of the appearance of oxygen in Earth's
first eukaryotic cells. Microfossils of atmosphere to just before the
these early cells are called Acritarcs. proliferation of complex life on the
Earth. The name Proterozoic
combines the two forms of ultimately
Greek origin: protero- meaning
"former, earlier", and -zoic, a suffix
related to zoe "life".
Phanerozoic Eon
• The Phanerozoic Eon
is the current eon in
Earth's history. The
Phanerozoic began
542 million years ago
with the Cambrian
explosion and
continues to the
present. This lesson
covers the events that • The Phanerozoic Eon
have occurred during consists of three eras;
this time span. Palezoic, Mesozoic, and
Cenozoic.
Paleozoic Era
• The Paleozoic Era is the earliest of three
geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. It is
the longest of the Phanerozoic eras, lasting
from 541 to 251.902 million years ago, and
is subdivided into six geologic periods: the
Cambrian,
Ordovician,
Silurian, Devonian,
Carboniferous,
and Permian.
Mesozoic Era
• The Mesozoic Era is an
interval of geological time
from about 252 to 66
million years ago. It is
also called the Age of
Reptiles and the Age of
Conifers. The Mesozoic is
one of three geologic
eras of the Phanerozoic
Eon, preceded by the
Paleozoic and succeeded
by the Cenozoic.
Cenozoic Era
• The Cenozoic Era
meaning "new life", is
the current and most
recent of the three
Phanerozoic
geological eras,
following the
Mesozoic Era and
extending from 66
million years ago to
the present day.
Thank you for
listening!
The End
Reporter:
JUSTIN S.EVANGELIO
GRADE XI- FR. CHAGAS

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A brief

• Exactly when or how it happened is

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