Geological time scale

The geological time scale is a stratigraphische table,with that geologic history is hierarchically arranged and divided temporally. In the youngest Äon , this organization is based to geologic history, the Phanerozoikum (about 542 million years long) on the evolution, the development of the organisms.

The internationally obligatory organization of the geologicalTime scale is made by “internationally the Commission on Stratigraphy” (ICS), S. Web left down. The table right shows the earth ages after ICS standard in compact overview. It is not complete and not out-commentated. The complete version see also geological time scale (table).

In geological tables the older time periods rule down, which younger, above as the sediments within an idealized, unimpaired layer federation to find itself would be. The tables are thus from bottom to top read. Reverse representations, which are to be found isolated, correspondnot the international standard.

international table standards

history of the geological scales

Charles Darwin was well-known already that different rock formations represent different periods of geologic history, but there was no method to classify or arrange them. Fossil findsfrom sea inhabitants in the high mountains it permitted also promptly the conclusion that the earth is not constant, but profound changes was submitted. This realization was at least substantially obstructed by the creationism. In addition, there was no possibility, the age of rocksto determine absolutely. Generally it was therefore accepted that pieces of find of a kind of rock must have developed together in each case at one time. In the future the problem of numerous scientists was raised again and again, among them the British geologists William Smith and Charles Lyell.

The geological time scale taken as a basis in Wikipedia goes to that on the geo logic Time Scale 2004 (GTS 2004) internationally Commission on Stratigraphy (gegr. 1977) back. The classifications in Europe are however older.

At present world-wide however some easily different tables becomethe geological time scale uses:

• the table that Commission on Stratigraphy ( ICS)
• the international arranging scale of the Geological Society OF America
• the table of the Commision de la Carte Geologique de Monde, Paris in

the English and the German Wikipedia becomes internationalthe table of the ICS uniformly used, in the German version however with the terms of the other versions out-commentates. (see also the out-commentated table of the geological time scale)

Äon, era and period

geologic history stress about a fifththat time, in which the universe developed and spans, based on human conceptions, a gigantic period. This is therefore hierarchically partitioned.

The designations of the units (arrangement levels) is alike in all geological tables:

• Äon (Eon) (griech.: an eternity)
  • era (Era) (griech.:one period)
    • period (Period) (griech.: a repeating section)
      • epoch (Epoch) (griech.: epoch, epoché = critical point)
        • age (Age)

beside it gives it from certain terms still to Sub categories. So for example the period is carbon into the Sub periods Pennsylvanium(Upper carbon) and Mississippium (lower carbon) partitions.

in different tables the allocation

• of the names, which are often selected after locally occurring rocks or fossils , is different. From this result conflicts in the designation, which provide for confusione.g. also the different designation of the cold times in the alpine region (Günz Kaltzeit,…) and in Northern Germany (Elbe cold time,…).
• the allocation of the names to the absolute times in mya. Thus the Kambrium begins for example in different tables at different times, bsw. 540 mya, 542mya or 570 mya. Modern tables are appropriate for improved methods of the age determination to reason.

in different tables the absolute

• numerical data are common in mya regarding a fossil, since his age at the rock can be determined.It is therefore possible to use each table equivalently as long as one uses the age data. (see also to age determination (archaeology)).

you find comparison of the different

geological scales here soon a comparison of the internationally common stratigraphischen tables.

Which is with quart acre and Tertiary period happens?

Stratigraphi classes

age determination

the ages and periods of the Phanerozoikums are generally classified today particularly on the basis fossils, whereby the age of the rocks with radiochemical methods is determined andthus also the age of the fossils firmly stands. (see also age determination) of rocks of older periods to leave with geophysical methods to only assign itself, which can illuminate increasingly also the development in the Proterozoikum and Archaikum. The events are unknown to far area in Hadaikum, above all, because hardly still rocks are present from this time. Since that time exogenous and endogenous geological circulations running off of the earth's crust cleared away or into large depth down there pressed a majority of the formations developed at that time.

Increasingly one recognizes

role of the atmosphere that the atmosphere represents an important factor in geologic history. It was differently compound to different epochs, which accompanied mutually with the development of the living world. Above all their composition in old earth-history periods is today not yet clarified. As safe it is considered that atmospheric oxygen is a direct consequence of the life development and would be missing without organisms. Different sedimentary rocks, which occurred today in large quantity, could develop at all only therefore. (e.g.Kalkgesteine)

The picture of our earth

animated nature affected the geological face of the earth always strongly. The life developed relatively rapidly after the emergence of the earth and during its development all it offering habitats took themselves. At the latestsince it came in the Paläozoikum in the course of the “Kambri explosion in such a way specified “to a precipitous increase of organisms in the fossil report, almost any angle of the earth's surface is settled recognizable as of organisms, exceptions was always only by limit more localor temporal meaning. For this reason one speaks also of the fact that the biomass is a surface property of our planet.

A detailed and commentated stratigrafische table is under: Geological time scale (table).

remarks on the Paläobotanik

in that Paläobotanik are used in place of the final syllable - zoikum the final syllable - phytikum. The Paläozoikum divided into the Botanik in Paläophytikum (Silur to Permian) and Eophytikum (Kambrium and Ordovizium).

<time LINE> ImageSize = width: 800 height: 110 PlotArea = left: 90 right: 5 bottom: 25 top: 10 AlignBars= justify

Colors =

 ID: neophytikum         VALUE: rgb (0,7, 1,0.7)ID: mesophytikum        VALUE: rgb (0,6, 0,9, 0.6)ID: paleophytikum       VALUE: rgb (0,5, 0,8, 0.5)ID: eophytikum          VALUE: rgb (0,4, 0,7, 0.4)ID: cenozoic            VALUE: rgb (1,1,0)ID: mesozoic            VALUE: rgb (0,5, 0,6784, 0.3176)ID: paleozoic           VALUE: rgb (0,5, 0,7098, 0.835)ID: phanerozoic         VALUE: rgb (0,7019, 0,886, 0.819)ID: black               VALUE: blackID: white               VALUE: white

Period = from: - 542 till: 0 TimeAxis = orientation: horizontal ScaleMajor = unit: year increment: 100 start: - 500 ScaleMinor = unit: year increment: 10start: - 540

text DATA =

 pos: (10,10) textcolor: black fontsize: 8 text: Millions years

PlotData =

 align: center textcolor: black fontsize: 8 Marks: (LINE, black) width: 25 SHIFTs: (0, - 5)

 cash: Äonfrom: -542   till:    0   color: phanerozoic       text:Phanerozoikum

 bar: Era from:  -65.5 till:    0   color: cenozoic          text:Känozoikumfrom: -251   till:  -65.5 color: mesozoic          text:Mesozoikum from:-542 till: -251 color: paleozoic text:Paläozoikum

 bar: Paläobotanik from:  -95   till:    0   color: neophytikum       text:Neophytikumfrom: -251   till:  -95   color: mesophytikum      text:Mesophytikumfrom: -443.7 till: -251   color: paleophytikum     text:Paläophytikumfrom: -542   till: -443.7 color: eophytikum        text:Eophytikum

< /timeline>

There the Neophytikum (=Känophytikum) 95 million years lasted and the Neozoikum (= Känozoikum) 65 million years, is against each other shifted the borders.

illustration of the earth ages

the earth ages form together an enormous time interval, which with yardsticks from the human everyday life only heavilyto estimate is. Since from this often misunderstandings result, as for instance one too “short available time “for the evolution, the following comparisons are therefore common as aids to be able to imagine these enormous periods nevertheless.

 ID: neogene VALUE: rgb (0,99215, 0,8, 0,54) ID: paleogene VALUE: rgb (1.0,7019, 0) ID: cretaceous VALUE: rgb (0,5, 0,764, 0,1098) ID: jurassic VALUE: rgb (0,302, 0,706, 0,5) ID: triassic VALUE: rgb (0,403, 0,765, 0,716) ID: permian VALUE: rgb (0,404, 0,776, 0,867) ID: carboniferous VALUE: rgb (0,6, 0,741, 0,855) ID: devonian VALUE: rgb (0,6, 0,6, 0,788) ID: silurian VALUE: rgb (0,694, 0,447, 0,714) ID: ordovician VALUE: rgb (0,976, 0,506, 0,651) ID: cambrian VALUE: rgb (0,984, 0,5, 0.373)ID: neoproterozoic VALUE: rgb (0,792, 0,647, 0,583) ID: mesoproterozoic VALUE: rgb (0,867, 0,761, 0,533) ID: paleoproterozoic VALUE: rgb (0,702, 0,698, 0,369) ID: eoarchean VALUE: rgb (0,5, 0,565, 0,565) ID: paleoarchean VALUE: rgb (0,6, 0,592, 0,569) ID: mesoarchean VALUE: rgb (0,698, 0,65, 0,6) ID: neoarchean VALUE: rgb (0,796, 0,804, 0,784) ID: ediacaran VALUE: rgb (0,918, 0,847, 0,737) ID: cryogenian VALUE: rgb (0,863, 0,671, 0,667) ID: tonian VALUE: rgb (0,796, 0,643, 0,424) ID: stratherian VALUE: rgb (1,1,0.8) # light yellow ID: calymmian VALUE: rgb (1,1,0.8) # light yellow ID: orosirian VALUE: rgb (1,1,0.8) # light yellow ID: rhyacian VALUE: rgb (1,1,0.8) # light yellowID: siderian VALUE: rgb (1,1,0.8) # light yellow ID: ectasian VALUE: rgb (1,1,0.8) # light yellow ID: stenian VALUE: rgb (1,1,0.8) # light yellow ID: cenozoic VALUE: rgb (1,1,0) ID: mesozoic VALUE: rgb (0,5, 0,6784, 0,3176) ID: paleozoic VALUE: rgb (0,5, 0,7098, 0,835) ID: phanerozoic VALUE: rgb (0,7019, 0,886, 0,819) ID: proterozoic VALUE: rgb (0,8, 0,85, 0,568) ID: archean VALUE: rgb (0,6, 0,6784, 0,6745) ID: hadean VALUE: rgb (0,4, 0,4, 0,4) ID: black VALUE: black ID: white VALUE: white

 pos: (10,13) textcolor: black fontsize: 8 text: Million
 pos: (10,3)   textcolor: black fontsize: 8 text: Years

 align: center textcolor: black fontsize: 8 Marks: (LINE, black) width: 75 SHIFTs: (0, - 5)

 cash: Äon

 RK: 0 $markred SHIFTs: (0, - 15) RK:-542 $markred SHIFTs: (0,3) from: -542 till: 0 color: phanerozoic text:Phanero ~zoikum SHIFTs: (0,1.5) from: - 2500   till: -542   color: proterozoic       text:Protero ~zoikum SHIFTs: (0,1.5) from: - 3800   till: - 2500   color: archean           text:Archaikumfrom: start   till: - 3800   color: hadean            text:Hadaikum

 bar: Era

 from:  -65.5 till:    0   color: cenozoic          text:Känozoikum from: -251 till: -65.5color: mesozoic text:Mesozoikumfrom: -542   till: -251   color: paleozoic         text:Paläozoikumfrom: - 1000   till: -542   color: neoproterozoic    text:Neoprote ~rozoikum SHIFTs: (0,1.5) from: - 1600   till: - 1000   color: mesoproterozoic   text:Mesoprotero ~zoikum SHIFTs: (0,1.5) from: - 2500   till: - 1600   color: paleoproterozoic text:Paläoprotero ~zoikum SHIFTs: (0,1.5) from: - 2800   till: - 2500   color: neoarchean        text:Neoarchaikumfrom: - 3200   till: - 2800   color: mesoarchean       text:Meso ~archaikum SHIFTs: (0,1.5)from: - 3600 till: - 3200 color: paleoarchean text:Paläo ~archaikum SHIFTs: (0,1.5) from: - 3800   till: - 3600   color: eoarchean         text:Eoarchaikumfrom: start   till: - 3800   color: white

 bar: Period

 from: -23.0 till: 0 color: neogene from: -65.5 till: -23.0 color: paleogene from: -145.5 till: -65.5 color: cretaceous from: -199.6 till: -145.5 color: jurassic from: -251 till: -199.6 color: triassicfrom: -299 till: -251 color: permian from: -359.2 till: -299 color: carboniferous from: -416 till: -359.2 color: devonian from: -443.7 till: -416 color: silurian from: -488.3 till: -443.7 color: ordovician from: -542 till: -488.3 color: cambrian

 from: -630   till: -542   color: ediacaran         text:Ediacarium from: -850 till:-630 color: cryogenian text:Cryogeniumfrom: - 1000   till: -850   color: tonian            text:Toniumfrom: - 1200   till: - 1000   color: mesoproterozoic   text:Steniumfrom: - 1400   till: - 1200   color: mesoproterozoic   text:Ectasiumfrom: - 1600   till: - 1400   color: mesoproterozoic   text:Calymmiumfrom: - 1800   till: - 1600   color: paleoproterozoic text:Statheriumfrom: - 2050   till: - 1800   color: paleoproterozoic text:Orosiriumfrom: - 2300   till: - 2050   color: paleoproterozoic text:Rhyaciumfrom: - 2500 till: - 2300 color: paleoproterozoic text:Sideriumfrom: start   till: - 2500   color: white

 ID: neogene VALUE: rgb (0,99215, 0,8, 0,54) ID: paleogene VALUE: rgb (1.0,7019, 0) ID: cretaceous VALUE: rgb (0,5, 0,764, 0,1098) ID: jurassic VALUE: rgb (0,302, 0,706, 0,5) ID: triassic VALUE: rgb (0,403, 0,765, 0,716) ID: permian VALUE: rgb (0,404, 0,776, 0,867) ID: carboniferous VALUE: rgb (0,6, 0,741, 0,855) ID: devonianVALUE: rgb (0,6, 0,6, 0,788) ID: silurian VALUE: rgb (0,694, 0,447, 0,714) ID: ordovician VALUE: rgb (0,976, 0,506, 0,651) ID: cambrian VALUE: rgb (0,984, 0,5, 0,373) ID: cenozoic VALUE: rgb (1,1,0) ID: mesozoic VALUE: rgb (0,5, 0,6784, 0,3176) ID: paleozoic VALUE: rgb (0,5, 0,7098, 0,835) ID: phanerozoic VALUE: rgb (0,7019, 0,886, 0,819) ID: black VALUE: black ID: white VALUE: white ID: darkgreen VALUE: rgb (0.0,35, 0)

 pos: (10,13) textcolor: black fontsize: 8 text: Million
 pos: (10,3)   textcolor: black fontsize: 8 text: Years

 align: center textcolor: black fontsize: 8 Marks: (LINE, black) width: 75 SHIFTs: (0, - 5)

 cash: Äon RK: 0 $markred SHIFTs: (0, - 15) RK: -542 $markred SHIFTs: (0,3) from: -542 till:0 color: phanerozoic text:Phanero ~zoikum SHIFTs: (0,1.5)

 cash: EraRK:      0   $markgreen SHIFTs: (0, - 15)RK:    -65.5 $markgreen SHIFTs: (0,3) from:  -65.5 till:    0   color: cenozoic          text:Känozoikumfrom: -251   till:  -65.5 color: mesozoic          text:Mesozoikumfrom: -542   till: -251   color: paleozoic         text:Paläozoikum

 bar: Period fontsize: 8 from: -23.0 till:0 color: neogene text:Neogenfrom:  -65.5 till:  -23.0 color: paleogene         text:Paläogenfrom: -145.5 till:  -65.5 color: cretaceous        text:Chalkfrom: -199.6 till: -145.5 color: jurassic          text:Lawfrom: -251   till: -199.6 color: triassic          text:Triasfrom: -299   till: -251   color: permian           text:Permian from:-359.2 till: -299 color: carboniferous text:Carbonfrom: -416   till: -359.2 color: devonian          text:Devonianfrom: -443.7 till: -416   color: silurian          text:Silurfrom: -488.3 till: -443.7 color: ordovician        text:Ordoviziumfrom: -542   till: -488.3 color: cambrian          text:Kambrium

 ID: neogene             VALUE: rgb (0,99215, 0,8, 0.54)ID: paleogene           VALUE: rgb (1.0,7019, 0)ID: cenozoic            VALUE: rgb (1,1,0)ID: holocene            VALUE: rgb (1,1,0.702)ID: pleistocene         VALUE: rgb (1.0,922, 0.384)ID: pliocene            VALUE: rgb (1.0,922, 0.675)ID: miocene             VALUE: rgb (1.0,871, 0)ID: oligocene           VALUE: rgb (0,918, 0,776, 0.447)ID: eocene              VALUE: rgb (0,918, 0,678, 0.263)ID: paleocene           VALUE: rgb (0,92, 0,576, 0.005)ID: black               VALUE: blackID: white               VALUE: whiteID: darkgreen           VALUE: rgb (0.0,35, 0)

 pos: (10,13) textcolor: black fontsize: 8 text: Million
 pos: (10,3)   textcolor: black fontsize: 8 text: Years

 align: center textcolor: black fontsize: 8 Marks: (LINE, black) width: 75 SHIFTs: (0, - 5)

 cash: Era RK:0 $markgreen SHIFTs: (0, - 15) RK: start $markgreen SHIFTs: (0,3) from: start till: 0 color: cenozoic text:Känozoikum

 bar: Period from:  -23.0 till:    0   color: neogene           text:Neogenfrom: start   till:  -23.0 color: paleogene         text:Paläogen

 bar: Epoch from:   -0.1 till:    0   color: holocenefrom:   -1.8 till:   -0.1 color: pleistocene       text:Pleistozänfrom: -5.3 till: -1.8 color: pliocene text:Pliozänfrom:  -23.0 till:   -5.3 color: miocene           text:Miozänfrom:  -33.9 till:  -23.0 color: oligocene         text:Oligozänfrom:  -55.8 till:  -33.9 color: eocene            text:Eozänfrom: start   till:  -55.8 color: paleocene         text:Paläozän

comparison earth ages- One day

would be old the earth one day, then it would only give humans for few seconds.

comparison with the UN building in New York

it is high 40 floors. EveryoneFloor corresponds thereby to 100 Mill. Years.

(*) on the roof of the building a book with 500 pages, which corresponds to the age of mankind, lies the last page corresponds the time since Christi birth.

became outdated stratinomische designations

Tertiary period

the age of the Känozoikums was divided in former times in Tertiary period and quart acre. Meanwhile this organization is outdated and became in the year 2004 of the international commission for Stratigraphie in the geological time scale (geo logic Time Scale 2004) notmore uses. Today the terms Paläogen and Neogen are considered as partitioning of the Känozoikums. The Paläogen is temporally identically to that in former times as partitioning of the Tertiary period used category Paläogen, which became and covers Neogen however beyond the Pliozän extendednow also the Pleistozän and the Holozän, the two epochs of the earlier quart acre, are thus enough into the geological present.

The designation “Tertiary period “(65.5 - 1.8 mA) therefore agitates that of Europe former geologists (before approximately 200 years)this time period because of the very powerful sediments strongly overrated. Thus it was placed to the Meso and Paläozoikum as a third epoch of geologic history to the side.

Because of the thick sediment layers determined in the strongly settled basin situations and because of the alpidischen Gebirgsbildung partitionedone the Tertiary period very variously:

• Here Paläogen with Paläozän , Eozän and Oligozän (and further in each case partitionings after regional stratigraphischen aspects
  • ) is the border in the new partitioning of the Känozoikums
• Neogen (“developed again”) with the Miozän (above all bathing, Sarmat, Pannon) and the Pliozän. Here still the Pleistozän and the Holozän come from the quart acre in addition to the organization from 2004 (continues to partition all periods).

quart acre

the name quart acre (1.8 mA until today) means “fourthEarth-pound " - reason like above.

• Pleistozän (4 large cold times and 3 interglacial periods)
• Holozän (geological present)

Web on the left of

• http://www.stratigraphy.org/ - The internationally Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS)
• http://www.geosociety.org/science/timescale/timescl.pdf - the international arranging scale of the Geological Society OF America
• http://www.stratigraphy.org/cheu.pdf - thoseinternational arranging scale of the Commision de la Carte Geologique de Monde (Paris)
• http://www.geoinventio.de excellent overview with testrelevant material
• http://www.scotese.com - Erdkarten of all earth ages since the late Präkambrium
• http://www.gd.nrw.de/w_ges.htm - pictorial Übersichtstabelle over geologic history (of the geological service North-Rhine/Westphalia)
• http://www.urweltmuseum.de animated geologicalClock
• http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/help/timeform.html - geological time table

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