Geology 105: History of Life
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Lecture Notes
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Introduction and Overview
Fossils 1
Fossils 2
Geologic Principles
Relative Time
Absolute Time
Diversity of Life
Evolution
Evolution and Diversity
Rates of Evolution
Extinction
Plate Tectonics
Origin of the Earth
Origin of Life
Early Precambrian (Archean) Life
Late Precambrian (Proterozoic) Life
The Cambrian Explosion
Early Paleozoic Life
Late Paleozoic Marine Life
The Invasion of Land 1
The Invasion of Land 2
The Permo-Triassic Extinctions
Mesozoic Marine Life
Mesozoic Terrestrial Life
Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinctions
Cenozoic Life

Relative Time

Lecture 5
2/11/98

Introduction
 On Monday, we looked at the geologic principles that form the basis of our understanding of the rock record
 Today, we will look at how these principles were used to develop the Geologic Time scale
Key Points
 The Geologic Time scale provides a relative measure of time.
 The Geologic Time scale is based on the fossil record
Divisions of Time
 Eons
 Eras
 Periods
 Epochs
Major Divisions
 Hadean
 Cryptozoic Eon
 Phanerozoic Eon
Subdivisions of the Cryptozoic
 Archean Era
 Proterozoic Era
Subdivisions of the Phanerozoic
 Paleozoic Era
 Cambrian Period
 Ordovician Period
 Silurian Period
 Devonian Period
 Caboniferous Period
 Permian Period
 Mesozoic Era
 Triassic Period
 Jurassic Period
 Cretaceous Period
 Cenozoic Era
 Tertiary Period
 Paleocene Epoch
 Eocene Epoch
 Oligocene Epoch
 Miocene Epoch
 Pliocene Epoch
 Quaternary Period
 Pleistocene Epoch
 Holocene (Recent) Epoch