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Geological periods or eras are what geologists and paleontologists use in order to organize the temporal flow of history on the face of the earth. Due to the large space of time, 4.5 billion years, it is more useful if it is divided into different stages to be able to study it. These divisions are not assigned randomly, but correspond to the different changes that have occurred in the geology , geography , climate and other characteristics of the earth. For the most part, they follow the evolution of life or the lack of it. The transformation that occurs in geological periods can be caused by somemajor geological event , such as a collision within the solar system, such as a comet or meteor. Prolonged volcanic episodes can also be an important agent of change.

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What are geological eras?

A geological era is a long unit of time that includes millions of years in which a series of biological and geological changes take place that are directly related to the formation of the Earth and the life in it.

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  • What are the geological eras
  • Classification of geological eras
  • features
  • What are geological eras for?
  • History

What are the geological eras

The geological eras of the earth are four and they are the following:

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  • It was archaic
  • was Precambrian
  • was Paleozoic
  • was Mesozoic
  • was Cenozoic

Classification of geological eras

The history of the earth is classified into five important stages, each one with a different number of years. This classification is as follows:

  • It was Archaic : located in the first million years of the earth where it was considered to be a sphere full of gases very similar to those that form the sun and from which the planets were formed . According to the theory, the earth cooled and the gases became liquids , these then cooled more and solidified, originating the first rocks . Vapors arose from them that formed the clouds and the atmosphere . The seas and life appeared . The rains camethat were deposited in the crust giving rise to the primitive seas and from the bottom of the planet the magma arose that formed volcanoes.
  • It was Precambrian : in this era the first manifestations of life occurred , they were unicellular beings very similar to bacteria . Some fossils from this era are rudimentary marine impressions. The cooling of the planet continued and the volcanic explosions diminished generating iron, silver and copper. Sedimentary rocks were formed. It is also known as the protozoic or elemental life era and it is considered that it lasted approximately 650 million years, sponges , corals and plants with roots appeared with it .
  • It was Paleozoic : in this time the fish and the ferns aroseand it was a period of relative tranquility. The oceans covered large portions of the planet and erosion began to play an important role. Limestone rocks were formed, there were marine animals with shells and a large amount of sand settled on the shores of the seas. There was a great multiplication of insects . The climate was hot, there was the formation of arborescent forests and the first vertebrate animals emergedthat could live both on land and in the sea. It lasted approximately 360 million years.
  • Mesozoic era : it was the era of the huge reptiles that lived on land and in lakes. Some of them even had wings and spread across the continents. Some of them evolved into the birds we see today. Mammal animals appearedand there was great volcanic activity with which folds and faults occurredin the earth’s surface, giving rise to mountains. It lasted approximately 120 million years.
  • Cenozoic Era : This is the era in which the earth took on its present characteristics, the great masses of ice moved towards the poles , the mammals multiplied and the continents and oceans took their present shape. They appeared domestic animals s and the first similar beings to men . Fire and stone were discovered.

features

Among the main characteristics that we can mention of geological eras are the following:

  • They are units of temporal chronology that represent the time that has passed since the beginning of the planet.
  • The passage from one era to the other is defined by massive extinction events of both plants and animals.
  • Its foundation is the rocks and fossils that have been found around the earth.
  • They represent the different modifications that the earth has undergone over the years.

What are geological eras for?

The geological eras are used to determine the time in which the rocks were formed , the strata and the passage and transformation that living beings had until reaching their current state. The study of the climate, the seas and the continents is possible through the study of geological ages.

History

In ancient Greece , Aristotle observed that fossils of seashells in rocks resembled those found on beaches. He drew conclusions that the fossils in the rocks were made up of living animals and reasoned that the positions of land and sea had changed over long periods of time. Leonardo da Vinci agreed with Aristotle’s interpretation that the fossils represented the remains of ancient life . The Persian geologist Avicenna and the 13th century Dominican bishop Albert the Great, were in charge of extending Aristotle’s explanation of a theory of a petrifying fluid . In the late 17th century, Nicholas Steno pronounced the principles of geological timescales . Steno argued that the rock layers or strata were laid out in succession, each representing a ” slice ” of time . He also formulated the law of superposition, which states that any given stratum is probably older than the previous ones and younger than those below.

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