Odekon M. Encyclopedia of paleoclimatology and ancient environments
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EARTH HISTORY TABLE
Table 1 Major Events in Earth’s Climate History
PHANEROZOIC EON
Cenozoic Era
Quaternary Period (1.8 my–present)
Holocene (Recent) Epoch (12 ky–present) Maunder Minimum (~1645–1715 AD). Little Ice Age (~1400–1850 AD). Medieval Warm Period (~ 900–1200
AD). Rise of cities and irrigation (~5 ky). Hypsithermal (~9–5 ky). The 8,200-year cold event. Sea level
meltwater pulse 1B (11,500–11,000 ky). Megafaunal extinctions.
Pleistocene Epoch (1.8 my–12 ky) Younger Dryas cold spell (12.8–11.6 ky). Antarctic Cold Reversal (14.5–13.0 ky). Bølling-Allerød interstadial
(14.5–12.7 ky). Sea level meltwater pulse 1A (~14.6–14.3 ky). Onset of post-glacial sea level rise (22–20 ky).
Last Glacial Termination (20–14.7 ky). Last Glacial Maximum (23–19 ky). Last (Eemian) interglacial (126 ky,
equivalent to base marine isotope stage 5e). Earliest Homo sapiens (<200 ky). Brunhes-Matayama magnetic
reversal (781 ky). Mid-Pleistocene Revolution: transition from 41 to 100 ky ice age cycles (1–0.8 my).
Neogene Period (1.8–23.0 my)
Pliocene Epoch (5.3–1.8 my) Earliest Homo (~1.9–1.8 my). Intensification of the Walker circulation (~1.9 my). Onset of Northern Hemisphere
glaciation (~2.5 my). Int ensification of Asian monsoon (2.6 my). Oldest stone tools (2.6–2.5 my). Closure of
Isthmus of Panama (4.25–3.4 my). Mid-Pliocene warm period (3.15–2.85 my). Earliest australopithecines
(4 my). Progressive narrowing of Indonesian gateway and drying of East Africa (5–2 my).
Miocene Epoch (23.0–5.3 my) Messinian salinity crisis (5.33–5.96my). Earliest hominins (7–6 my). Development of Indian and east Asian
monsoon (9–8 my; possibly at 22 my). Accelerated phase of eastern Himalayan uplift (13–9 my). East African
rifting (12–1.5 my). Deep-water cooling and east Antarctic ice sheet expansion (15 my).
Paleogene Period
Oligocene Epoch (33.9–23.0 my) Initiation of Antarctic Circumpolar Current (~25–23 my). Initiation of North Atlantic Deep Water current.
Opening of Tasmanian Passage (~33.5 my). Onset of ice build-up, Antarctica (34 my).
Eocene Epoch (55.8–33.9 my) Opening of Drake Passage (~44–22 my). Onset of Himalayan uplift (~40 my). Gradual cooling trend (49–37 my).
Early Eocene climatic optimum (55–50 my). Paleocene–Eocene Thermal maximum (55.5 my)
– warm
episode, large negative d
13
C anomaly.
Paleocene Epoch (65.5–55.8 my) Late Paleocene – India collides with Asia.
Mesozoic Era
Cretaceous Period (145.5–65.5 my) Cretaceous–Tertiary impact. Major mass extinction. Last dinosaurs, ammonites, and others. Massive eruption of
Deccan Traps (~65 my). Some short-lived cold episodes. Ocean anoxic events. Starting ~125 mya, generally
warm. Elevated sea level. Massive flood basalts – southwest Pacific Ocean. Increased CO
2
outgassing.
Break-up of Gondwanaland; separation of India, Australia, Antarctica, Early Cretaceous. Temperate climate.
Jurassic Period (199.6–145.5 my) Rifting – eastern North America. Sea floor spreading and sea level rise. Generally warm. Ocean anoxic event.
Triassic Period (251.0–199.6 my) Mass extinction – end Triassic. Onset of Pangean break-up, Late Triassic. Generally warm. Monsoonal climate.
Extensive evaporites – hot and dry – interior Pangea.
Paleozoic Era
Permian Period (299.0–251.0 my) End-Permian mass extinction. Onset of warm climate. Ocean anoxic event. Massive eruption of Siberian Traps
(flood basalts) (249.4 my). Glaciation persists to Middle–Late Permian. Final assembly of Pangea. First
mammals.
Carboniferous Period (345–299.0 my) “The Coal Age”.
Pennsylvanian (318.1–299.0 my) Onset of Southern Hemisphere glaciation (320 my). Extensive paleoequatorial coal deposition. Cyclothems.
Mississippian (359.2–318.1 my) Warming trend. First land vertebrates.
Devonian Period (416.0–359.2 my) Mass extinction. Late Devonian to early Carboniferous glaciation (~374.5 my). Early-mid Devonian, warm,
and dry.
Silurian Period (443.7–416.0 my) Moderate climate, high sea levels, shallow continental seas.
Ordovician Period (488–443.7 my) Mass extinction – end Ordovician. Late Ordovician to early Silurian high latitude, Southern Hemisphere
glaciation. First land plants. Early Ordovician – warm, arid climate.
Cambrian Period (542.0–488.3 my) Generally warm and arid. First exoskeletal invertebrates. “Cambrian explosion.” Ocean anoxia at
Precambrian–Cambrian boundary.
PROTEROZOIC EON (2,500–542 my)
Neoproterozoic Era (1,000–542 my) First preserved macroscopic soft-bodied fossils (Ediacaran fauna ~600 my).
Neoproterozoic glaciations (725–635 my).
Mesoproterozoic Era (1,600–1,000 my)
Paleoproterozoic Era (2,500–1,600 my) Huronian glaciation (2400–2200 my). Early increase in O
2
; massive banded iron and manganese formations
during the Huronian.
ARCHAEAN EON (4,000–2,500 my) Earliest fossil evidence for life, Apex Chert Australia (~3.5 by). Oldest water-deposited rocks, Isua Supracrustal
sequence, Greenland (3.7—3.8 by). “Late heavy bombardment” by meteorites (~3.9 by), by analogy to the
Moon.
HADEAN EON (4,650–4,000 my) Oldest minerals /rocks: zircon crystals, Narryer Gneiss Complex, Western Australia (4.4–4.0 by); Acasta Gneiss,
Great Slave Lake, NW Canada (4.03 by). Low surface temperature (4.4–4.0 by), based on oxygen isotope
ratios in zircon.
Age of Earth (4.54 by)
Age of Solar System (4.57 by)
Dates for geologic periods are taken from International Commission on Stratigraphy (2004) Overview of Global Boundary Stratotype Sections and Points
(GSSP’s) (http://www.stratigraphy.org/gssp.htm). Major events listed in the table are described in the individual articles in this volume unless otherwise indicated.