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Cambrien Period 570-500 MYA
THe Cambrien Period had an abundant amount of marine organisms and the Earth was covered in oceans. All life was in the oceans. -
Ordivician Period 490-445 MYA
Supercontinent formed on the South pole called Godwana. More and more marine life started to pop up. -
Silurian Period 445-420 MYA
Large glacial forms started to melt. Due to the melting, sea levels rose. Coral reefs also made their first appearence during this time. -
Devonian Period 420-360 MYA
Earliest vascular plants are beginning to sprout during this time period. The ferns that we have today stem back to that time. This period really only produced smaller plants, as the tallest at the time was only about a meter in height. -
Carboniferous 360-300 MYA
This period was essential to the formation of coal. The conditions were perfect seeing that this time flourished with numerous swamps and other wetlands. -
Permian Period 300-250 MYA
Period is distinct due to the mass extinction experienced in the oceans. Most if not all marine life at the time died. -
Triassic Period 250-200 MYA
This was the first period of the Mesozoic Era. It was right after a gigantic mass extinction in the Permian Period. The beginnings of dinosaurs are developing late in this time. -
Jurassic Period 200-145 MYA
This is the center period of the Mesozoic Era. By the beginning of this period Pangea started to split into two large land masses. The first birds the world has ever seen also developed in this period. -
Cretaceous Period 145-65 MYA
This period is famous for it's major mass extinction of the dinosaurs. There are many theories as to what happened to them, but most believe that a huge meteor, about 6 miles long, came down and crashed into the earth followed by major chain volcanic eruptions. The dinosaurs could not handle the trauma and went out of existence. -
Tertiary Period 65-2.5 MYA
There was much activity going on with the tectonic plates, the supercontinent Godwana finally seperated as the plates began to form the land forms that we have today. This was the period of large mammal life including mammoths, and giant sloths. -
Quaternary Period 2.5- Present
Large glaciers that form around the poles began to advance onto the land and recede, this carved out rolling hills and bed rock. This period is often considered the 'Age of Humans'.
