Geologic Timescale
Eon Era Period Epoch Major events
Precambrian Hadean Eohaden NA Formation of the Sun
Formation of the Earth
Formation of the Moon
Early Bombardment Phase
Paleohadean N/A End of the Early Bombardment Phase
Earliest known mineral
Asteroids and comets bring water to Earth
Mesohadean N/A Possible first plate tectonics
Greater Luna basins formed.
Earliest evidence for life – high amounts of light isotopes of carbon
Neohadean N/A Indirect photosynthetic evidence of primordial life
Beginning of the late heavy bombardment
Oldest known rock
Archean Eoarchean N/A Simple single-celled life (Bacteria and Archaea)
Oldest probable microfossils
First self-replicating RNA Molecules
Late heavy bombardment ends
Paleoarchean N/A First known oxygen-producing Bacteria
Oldest definitive microfossils
Oldest cratons on Earth (Canadian Shield and the Pilbara Craton
Rayner Orogeny in Antarctica
Mesoarchean N/A First stromatolites
Oldest macrofossils
Blake River Megacaldera Complex begins to form
Neoarchean N/A Stabilization of most modern cratons
Possible mantle overturn event
Insell Orogeny
Proterzoic Paleoproterozoic Siderian Oxygen Catastrophe
Banded iron formations
Sleaford Orogeny on Australia Continent
Gawler Craton
Rhyacian Huronian glaciation
Orosirian The atmosphere becomes oxygenic.
Vredefort and Sudbury basin asteroid impacts
Statherian First complex single-celled life:
Protists with nuclei,
Columbia – the primordial supercontinent
Mesoproterozoic Calymmian Platform covers expand,
Barramundi Orogeny, McArthur Basin, Norther Australia
Eon Era Period Epoch Major events
Precambrian Hadean Eohaden NA Formation of the Sun
Formation of the Earth
Formation of the Moon
Early Bombardment Phase
Paleohadean N/A End of the Early Bombardment Phase
Earliest known mineral
Asteroids and comets bring water to Earth
Mesohadean N/A Possible first plate tectonics
Greater Luna basins formed.
Earliest evidence for life – high amounts of light isotopes of carbon
Neohadean N/A Indirect photosynthetic evidence of primordial life
Beginning of the late heavy bombardment
Oldest known rock
Archean Eoarchean N/A Simple single-celled life (Bacteria and Archaea)
Oldest probable microfossils
First self-replicating RNA Molecules
Late heavy bombardment ends
Paleoarchean N/A First known oxygen-producing Bacteria
Oldest definitive microfossils
Oldest cratons on Earth (Canadian Shield and the Pilbara Craton
Rayner Orogeny in Antarctica
Mesoarchean N/A First stromatolites
Oldest macrofossils
Blake River Megacaldera Complex begins to form
Neoarchean N/A Stabilization of most modern cratons
Possible mantle overturn event
Insell Orogeny
Proterzoic Paleoproterozoic Siderian Oxygen Catastrophe
Banded iron formations
Sleaford Orogeny on Australia Continent
Gawler Craton
Rhyacian Huronian glaciation
Orosirian The atmosphere becomes oxygenic.
Vredefort and Sudbury basin asteroid impacts
Statherian First complex single-celled life:
Protists with nuclei,
Columbia – the primordial supercontinent
Mesoproterozoic Calymmian Platform covers expand,
Barramundi Orogeny, McArthur Basin, Norther Australia
