SES 4UI: Geologic Time Activity
Name: _________________________________
Date: ________________________________
PART #1
Making a time line for the Earth
Materials:
Expectations - 1 sheet of 11” x 17” paper, 2 sheets of 8’ x 11” paper, Ruler, Calculator,
description of Geological Eras and Periods, Pencil crayons
Optional – Design your own timeline and ignore the direction below. You still must show all of
your calculations. The only difference will be that your timeline will have different dimensions.
Name of
Geological Eon
Name of
Geological Era
Cenozoic
Time Period
(million years
ago)
65 to present
Length on Time Line
(1cm = 100 million
years)
0.65 cm
Phanerozoic
Mesozoic
248 to 65
1.83 cm
4600 to 3800
8.00 cm
Paleozoic
PreCambrian
Proterozoic
Archaean
Hadean
Part A: Geological Eons and Eras
1)
Tape the 8 x 11 sheet to the end of the 11 x 17 sheet. Orient your new 11 x 25 sheet
as seen at right.
2)
Draw a 46 cm line along the left hand side of the page (see the diagram at right) The
line should be 4 - 5 cm thick (the “line” should be hollow so that information can be
added inside.
3)
Each centimeter on the line represents 100 million years. Subdivide the line to show
the relative length of each geological time period from the Cenozoic (at the top) to the
Hadean (at the bottom).
4)
Use the worksheet up above to show all of your calculations (complete the unshaded
section of the chart). Use the data from the worksheet to subdivide your line
accurately.
5)
Label each section of your time line with the correct time period. Use coloured pencils to shade
each section of the line.
6)
With the remaining space on the right hand side of the page – write short descriptive sentences that
summarize major geological, evolutionary and biological events that occurred at each era or eon
(example – the oldest fossils, the formation of an oxygen atmosphere). Sometimes major events
occur at the transition between eras (example – major extinction event or meteorite strike).
11 x 17
sheet
8 x 11
sheet
Part B: Geological Eras and Periods from the Cambrian to the Present (Phanerozoic).
1)
On the reverse side of your sheet, draw a 54.2 cm line along the left hand side of the page that is 4
- 5 cm thick.
2)
Each centimeter on the line represents 10 million years. Subdivide the line to show the relative
length of each geological period from the Quaternary (at the top) to the Cambrian (at the bottom).
3)
Use the worksheet below to show all of your calculations (complete the unshaded section of the
chart). Use the data from the worksheet to subdivide your line accurately.
4)
Label each section of your time line with the correct time period. Use coloured pencils to shade
each section of the line.
5)
With the remaining space on the right hand side of the page – write brief summary (one or two
sentences) to summarize major geological, evolutionary and biological events that occurred at each
era or eon (example – appearance of mammals, the break up of Pangaea). Sometimes major
events occur at the transitions between periods (example – dinosaur extinction event). These can
be the same ones you used before or new ones.
Name of
Geological
Eon
Name of
Geological
Era
Name of
Geological
Period
Time Period
(million years
ago)
Phanerozoic
Cenozoic
Quaternary
Tertiary
Cretaceous
Jurassic
Triassic
Permian
Carboniferous
Devonian
Silurian
Ordovician
Cambrian
1.8 to present
65 to 1.8
144 to 65
Mesozoic
Paleozoic


Length on
Time Line
(1cm = 10
million years)
0.18 cm
6.32 cm
7.90 cm
Your mark will be based on the amount of detail, the accuracy and the neatness of your time line.
(Remember to include titles and your name)
A section of your time line might look like the time line below:
The Divisions of Precambrian Time
Part 2: Information on the Cenozoic and Mesozoic Eras
Complete the following table for the most recent five periods. You can do this in any format you would like, but
your product must cover the following points. Other products include a children’s book, PowerPoint
presentation, a blog or facebook page or a research essay. The purpose of this section is to give you a better
idea of what happened in each period. Although you are working with a partner, you are responsible for all of
the information. It may appear on a test. You must reference all your research!!
Picture
Name of Period
Time of Peroid
Description in terms of the
ecology, organisms, geology,
and weather patterns….
Major events
The Geological Time Scale – Use this time scale to determine your values.
Phanerozoic Eon
(543 mya to present)
Precambrian Time
(4,500 to 543 mya)
Cenozoic Era
(65 mya to today)
Quaternary (1.8 mya to today)
Holocene (10,000 years to today)
Pleistocene (1.8 mya to 10,000 yrs)
Tertiary (65 to 1.8 mya)
Pliocene (5.3 to 1.8 mya)
Miocene (23.8 to 5.3 mya)
Oligocene (33.7 to 23.8 mya)
Eocene (54.8 to 33.7 mya)
Paleocene (65 to 54.8 mya)
Mesozoic Era
(248 to 65 mya)
Cretaceous (144 to 65 mya)
Jurassic (206 to 144 mya)
Triassic (248 to 206 mya)
Paleozoic Era
(543 to 248 mya)
Permian (290 to 248 mya)
Carboniferous (354 to 290 mya)
Pennsylvanian (323 to 290 mya)
Mississippian (354 to 323 mya)
Devonian (417 to 354 mya)
Silurian (443 to 417 mya)
Ordovician (490 to 443 mya)
Cambrian (543 to 490 mya)
Tommotian (530 to 527 mya)
Proterozoic Era
(2500 to 543 mya)
Neoproterozoic (900 to 543 mya)
Vendian (650 to 543 mya)
Mesoproterozoic (1600 to 900 mya)
Paleoproterozoic (2500 to 1600 mya)
Archaean
(3800 to 2500 mya)
Hadean
(4500 to 3800 mya)
Additional information can be found at http://earthsci.org/fossils/youngp/periods/periods.html