Preceden

Biological Evolutionary Timeline

Geologic and Atmospheric Events

Opening of the Atlantic Ocean as the Eastern Hemisphere splits from the West

100

Formation of Supercontinent--Pangea II

200

Formation of coal deposits

340

Oxygen reaches 20% (present level)

380

Development of the Appalachian Mountains

575

Breakup of the Early Supercontinent

600

Collision of Indian and Asian Plates

035

Separation of Australia and Antarctica

050

Formation of the Rocky Mountains

070

Worldwide Glaciations (average)

2

Linking of North and South America with land bridge

6

Formation of the Himalaya Mountains

015

Free oxygen begins to build up

2500

Period of no free oxygen

3700

Oldest Earth Rocks

3800

Origin of the Earth as a solid mass

4600

Biologic Events

Flowering Plants develop

140

Dinosaurs are abundant

175

First birds

180

First mammals

220

First dinosaurs

235

Rapid expansion of living things--"Permian Explosion"

250

First reptiles

300

Development of self-contained egg

340

Trees appear

350

First amphibians

360

Insect-like creatures appear

400

Earliest fishes

500

Early shelled organisms

570

Marine invertebrates abundant

600

Multi-celled plants and animals

700

Advanced single cells

1000

Mount Vesuvius destroys Pompeii

1027

Development of eukaryotic cells

1400

Development of Early Primates

35

Man on the Moon

37

Extinction of the dinosaurs--"Great Extinction"

065

Anatomically Modern Humans (Homo sapiens)

1

Early Homo sapiens develop

1

Australopithecines and Homo habilis develop

4

Early Algae (blue-green) Gunflint formation

2200

First Life (single-celled prokaryotes)

3500

Last ice age

10,000