ABSOLUTE TIME (Years ago) INCHES STRATIGRAPHIC TIME SCALE

First man → 0 CENOZOIC

1 MESOZOIC

First dinosaurs → 2 PALEOZOIC

3

500 million 4

First abundant fossils → 5 PRECAMBRIAN

6

7

1 billion 8

9

10

11

12

13

14

Oldest known fossils → 15

2 billion 16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

3 billion 24

25

26

27

Oldest dated rocks → 28

29

30

31

4 billion 32

33

34

35

Minimum age of the earth → 36

ENLARGEMENT OF THE LAST SIX INCHES

ABSOLUTE TIME INCHES STRATIGRAPHIC TIME SCALE

(Years Ago)

0 0 CENOZOIC QUATERNARY

TERTIARY

MESOZOIC CRETACEOUS

1 JURASSIC

TRIASSIC

2 PALEOZOIC PERMIAN

PENNSYLVANIAN

MISSISSIPPIAN

3 DEVONIAN

SILURIAN

ORDOVICIAN

500 million 4 CAMBRIAN

5 PRECAMBRIAN

6