Geologic Timescale

  • Tertiary (65-1.8 MYA)
    65

    Tertiary (65-1.8 MYA)

    Earliest placental mammals , modern mammal, large running mammals
  • Cretaceous (136-65 MYA)
    136

    Cretaceous (136-65 MYA)

    Earliest flowering plants and brachiopods
  • Jurassic (195-136 MYA)
    195

    Jurassic (195-136 MYA)

    Earliest birds and mammals. Abundant dinosaurs and ammonites
  • Triassic (225-195 MYA)
    225

    Triassic (225-195 MYA)

    Earliest dinosaurs , abundant cycads and conifers
  • Permian (280-225 MYA)
    280

    Permian (280-225 MYA)

    Extinction of many types of marine life including trilobites
  • Carboniferous (345-280 MYA)
    345

    Carboniferous (345-280 MYA)

    Abundant sharks and amphibians. Large swamps an coal forming forests
  • Devonian (395-345 MYA)
    395

    Devonian (395-345 MYA)

    Armored fish go extinct besides a few other species of fish
  • Silurian (435-395 MYA)
    435

    Silurian (435-395 MYA)

    Earliest terrestrial plants and animals
  • Ordovician (500-435 MYA)
    500

    Ordovician (500-435 MYA)

    Invertebrates are dominant. Mollusks become abundant as well as fish (jawed and armored)
  • Cambrian (570-500 MYA)
    570

    Cambrian (570-500 MYA)

    Earliest record of marine life and trilobites are dominant
  • Quaternary (1.8 MYA - Present)

    Quaternary (1.8 MYA - Present)

    Large carnivores, neanderthals, humans, mastodons