CENOZOIC

Life characterized by proliferation of mammals, insects, and flowering plants

Continental Drift has continued with Australia separating from Antarctica and Asia and Africa colliding at Arabia

Climate has deteriorated throughout the era, climaxing in a still continuing (in geological terms) ice age.

Quaternary

Holocene
0.01 million years ago

Early Civilizations

Emergence of Man

Pleistocene
2 million years ago

4 Glacial and Interglacial periods

Tertiary

Pliocene
7 million years ago

Himalayan Mountains begin

Miocene
26 million years ago

Oligocene
38 million years ago

Eocene
54 million years ago

Paleocene
65 million years ago

MESOZOIC

Life was dominated by dinosaurs and marine reptiles in the animal world and gymnosperms among plants.

Continental break-up of plates from the old Pangaea (one big continent)

Climate was warm and equable over the entire planet

Cretaceous

136 million years ago

(Main area of oil zones in Lloydminster region)

seas transgress

Jurassic

190 million years ago

Pangaea fragments

Triassic

225 million years ago

seas regress

PALEOZOIC

Life evolved from invertebrates through amphibians to reptiles

Continent formed as Pangaea rose out of earlier huge seas

Climate alternated between long warm periods and short ice ages

Permian

280 million years ago

formation of Pangaea

Carboniferous

Pennsylvanian
315 million years ago

Mississippian
345 million years ago

Devonian

395 million years ago

first land animals

Silurian

440 million years ago

first land plants

Ordovician

500 million years ago

Cambrian

570 million years ago

major transgression of seas

PRECAMBRIAN
 

Life appears and evolves to multicellular organisms

Continental and mountain building

Climate uncertain, free oxygen emerges

Proterozoic

570 to 2500 million years ago

first multicellular organisms

Archaean

2500 to 4600 million years ago

the Earth forms