SOAR-High Earth System Science                           Name: _________________         
Activity 3. __  The Geologic Timeline                    Date: ________________

GOAL:  To become familiar with the Geologic Time Scale and learn the names of the main Eras, Periods, and Epochs.
Resource web site:    http://www.mwweb.com/maunus/temp/SHMA3GT.html

1.  How the Earth has changed.
Pick one place on the Earth (west coast of California, India, South America, etc.), study it's movement in the animation, and then describe what happened there over the past 730 million years.





2. a.  How long would it take you to COUNT to one billion?   Write your prediction:

    b. What does the web site say about how long it would take? 



3.   What are the four eras on the Geologic Time Scale and their ages?

Era name
 period of years
1. 
present time to 66.4 million years ago (mya)
2.


3.
4.

      
4.  What is the meaning of the three youngest eras?
         Paleozoic  ___________________________
         Mesozoic    ___________________________
         Cenozoic  ___________________________

5A.  Click on the geologic time of Los Angeles Natural History Museum.

    a.  Write the names of the 12 Geologic Periods:  ___________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

     b.  How is the chart divided up?    Answer these questions using the Chart:
     
Question
 Period
 mya
When did the first  land plants appear?
 Silurian
 440 mya
When did the first bony fish appear?

When did the first birds appear?

When did mammals appear?

When did humans appear?


    
5B.   Click on the White Mountain Research Station Time chart. Each era has an age.
     What the names of the 7 Epochs in the Cenozoic Era?  Include their ages.

Epoch
 mya
















5C.  Click on the Kansas State University Geology Dept. Time line.  What new information can you learn from this view of the timeline?



6A.   Click on the web site “ UCMP Web Geological Time machine”.  Click and learn about each time period.
Take notes here one 6 of the Geologic Periods that interest you:
Era name
 Period name
 mya
 Notes


























6B.  





Study a map showing the geology of your area.
     MD
      NC
     MN
     ID
     CZ

<== On the Time Scale here, use color to show the the 11 Geologic Eras. Periods and Epochs that show up in ....... National Park


7.  Fossil Evidence

    a.  What is a fossil?

    b.  How are the time intervals on the Geologic Time Scale often recognized?


    c.  What are the three important concepts to remember when working with fossils?



    d.  What is the Law of Fossil Succession?
 



8A.   Click on the web site “ Putting Time into Proportion” to see how the Earth changed over millions of years.    Click on the chart called "Close Up: The Phanerozoic Eon".   Click on the each era to see what the Earth look like at that specific period.

a.  Cambrian Era.  Sketch a map of the Cambrian Era Earth.  Label the main parts. Read “What’s going on here?” on the same page.  Write important notes about this period.



    Notes: __________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________


 b.  Silurian Era.  Sketch a map of the Silurian Era Earth.  Label the main parts. Read “What’s going on here?” on the same page.  Write important notes about this period.


      Notes: _________________________________________________________

     __________________________________________________________________

     __________________________________________________________________
           
        
c.  Mississippian Era (Carboniferous).  Sketch a map of the Mississippian Era Earth.  Label the main parts. Read “What’s going on here?” on the same page.  Write important notes about this period.


        Notes:  ___________________________________________________________
    
        __________________________________________________________________

        __________________________________________________________________


d.  Permian Era.  Sketch a map of the Permian Era Earth.  Label the main parts. Read “What’s going on here?” on the same page.  Write important notes about this period.
 
      Notes: _________________________________________________________

     __________________________________________________________________

     __________________________________________________________________
           

e. Jurassic Era.  Sketch a map of the Jurassic Era Earth.  Label the main parts. Read “What’s going on here?” on the same page.  Write important notes about this period.


    Notes:  _________________________________________________________
    
    __________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________



 f. Cenozoic Era, Miocene Period.  Sketch a map of the Miocene Period Earth.  Label the main parts. Read “What’s going on here?” on the same page.  Write important notes about this period.

      Notes: _________________________________________________________

     __________________________________________________________________

     __________________________________________________________________
           

8B.  Relative Time... thinking about deep time:  A Comparison to One Year


 Suppose we compare the 4.5 billion year history of the Earth to ONE YEAR.
   Write on the timeline, above.  Show the following events on the one-year timeline.

Jan. 1 -- Earth was born
Early Feb. -- Oldest known rocks formed
Late Mar. -- First primitive life formed
Mid Nov.-- First complex life with shells or skeletons formed
Late Nov. -- First land animals
Dec. 25 -- Extinction of the dinosaurs
Dec. 31 -- Humans evolved in the evening
Dec. 31 -- one second before midnight, humans first set foot on the Moon

(Source:  http://earth.geol.ksu.edu/sgao/g100/plots/0827_time_scale.html)

  Add the Geologic Eras in the space above the one-year timeline:
January 1 to November 19 represents the geologic time before the Paleozoic Era.
November 19 to December 13 represents the Paleozoic Era.
 December 13 to December 27 represents the Mesozoic Era.
 December 27 thru December 31 represents the Cenozoic Era..
(Source: http://www.enviro-explorers.com/rocksandroads_122302/unit1/unit1a.htm)