Earth History-Shaping Events

Origin of the solar system

Earth forms, 4.6 B.Y.B.P.

Oceans form, 4.0 B.Y.B.P.

Primitive algae evolves, 3.3. B.Y.B.P.

First fossil evidence of multicellular organisms, 1.2 B.Y.B.P.

Trilobites are abundant, algal reefs form, 600 M.Y.B.P.

First corals evolve, invertebrates dominate oceans, 500 M.Y.B.P.

First land plants evolve, insects appear 440 M.Y.B.P.

Fishes are abundant, early amphibians evolve, 400 M.Y.B.P.

Forests that become coal swamps are present 300 M.Y.B.P.

Earliest reptiles evolve, 300 M.Y.B.P.

Alleghenian Orogeny occurs, 270 M.Y.B.P.

Trilobites become extinct, 270 M.Y.B.P.

Earliest dinosaurs appear, 225 M.Y.B.P.

Pangaea breaks up, 225 M.Y.B.P.

Earliest mammals evolve, 200 M.Y.B.P.

Dinosaurs are abundant, 180 M.Y.B.P.

The first birds evolve, 180 M.Y.B.P.

Asteroid impact, 66 M.Y.B.P.

Modern groups of mammals appear 60 M.Y.B.P.

Earliest horses evolve, 60 M.Y.B.P.

Large mammals evolve, 40 M.Y.B.P.

Carnivores abundant, 11 M.Y.B.P.

Adirondack mountains uplifted, 11 M.Y.B.P.

First humanoids evolve ( Australopithecus africanus ), 3 M.Y.B.P.

Ice Age of the Pleistocene begins, 1 M.Y.B.P.

Mammoths and mastodons are abundant, 1 M.Y.B.P.

Large ice sheets retreat ~ 10000 years ago

Mount Vesuvius erupts and destroys Pompeii , A.D. 79

New Madrid Earthquake, 1811-1812

Chicago Fire, 1871

Krakatoa eruption in Java, 1883

Industrial revolution and resulting population explosion, 1900's

Mt. St. Helens eruption in Washington , U.S. , 1980

Threat of global warming, Present

World-wide terrorism, Present