Exploring Time: A Journey Through Geologic Ages and Human History
Delve into the fascinating concept of time as reflected in the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin, who reminds us not to squander the precious moments that shape our lives. This exploration includes the vast geologic timescales, from the formation of Earth 4.6 billion years ago to humanity’s brief 12,000-year history. Discover the timelines of major Earth events, the rise and fall of species, and how time influences our perceptions and existence. Join us on an extraordinary voyage through fast times, slow times, and the significant moments in between!
Exploring Time: A Journey Through Geologic Ages and Human History
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Presentation Transcript
Think about it... “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.” Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Maxims prefixed to Poor Richard's Almanac, 1757
-15 10 Geologic Time Age of the earth 1 billion years 9 Mountain range to be uplifted 3000m at 0.2mm/yr 1 million years 6 Time for Atlantic Ocean to widen 1 km at 4 cm/yr 1 thousand years 3 Human lifetime Measurable erosion of rivers and shorelines 1 year 0 1 month Floods 1 day -3 1 hour 1 minute Earthquake waves go through and around Earth -6 1 second -9 Time for 1 sound wave detectable by human ears 1000th of a second -12 Nuclear Processes Time in years
Geologic Time Scale Eon Era Period Epoch Age Quaternary Recent Pleistocene Present Pliocene Cenozoic Miocene to Tertiary Oligocene Eocene 60-65 m.y.a. Paleocene Phanerozoic Cretaceous 60-65 m.y.a Mesozoic Jurassic to Triassic 230 m.y.a. Permian Pennsylvanian 230 m.y.a. Mississippian Paleozoic Devonian to Silurian Ordovician 600 m.y.a. Cambrian Cryptozoic Pre-Cambrian 600 m.y.a. to 4.6+ b.y.a.
Football Field 0 50 100 10 yards Human beings appear 1st microscopic life (3.5 b.y.a.) 1st fossil of large life-like sponges & jellyfish Age of Dinosaurs 1st dinosaur appeared Earth forms (4.6 b.y.a.) Today
One Year January 1, midnight 4.6 b.y.a. formation of the earth early to mid-March 3.5-3.8 b.y.a. first life on earth early-May 3 b.y.a. photosynthesis; blue-green algae mid-November 570 m.y.a. first eukaryotic cells; shelled animals Thanksgiving 400 m.y.a. Fish, vertebrates, land plants December 7 300 m.y.a. Large swamps (coal), insects, reptiles December 11 250 m.y.a. Beginning of the age of reptiles December 15 200 m.y.a. Dinosaurs December 20 130-140 m.y.a. Dinosaurs, fish, flowering plants December 25 65 m.y.a. Mass extinction of dinosaurs December 31, 4 pm 4 m.y.a. Earliest fossils of genus Homo 11:58:30 12,000 y.a. All of recorded history 11:59:46 2,000 y.a. Christian Era
