This timeline gives a chronological listing of all Geological Time Periods, Eras and Eons from 4600 million years ago to present day
HADEON EON
4600 – 3900 million years ago
Formation of Solar System
ARCHEON EON
3900 – 2500 million years ago
Oceans, Continents and bacteria
PROTEROZOIC EON
2500 – 540 million years ago
Multi-celled organisms
PHANEROZOIC EON
540 million years ago – present
Paleozoic Era
540 – 248 million years ago
CAMBRIAN PERIOD
570 – 500 million years ago
Invertebrate sea life
ORDOVICIAN PERIOD
500 – 435 million years ago
Vertebrate sea life
SILURIAN PERIOD
435 – 410 million years ago
Coral reefs, giant scorpions, jawed fish
DEVONIAN PERIOD
410 – 360 million years ago
Sea life, trees, wingless insects
CARBONIFEROUS PERIOD
360 – 290 million years ago
Coal, insects, reptiles, amphibians, fish, crustaceans
PERMIAN PERIOD
290 – 248 million years ago
Reptiles, amphibians
Mesozoic Era
248 – 63 million years ago
TRIASSIC PERIOD
248 – 205 million years ago
Dinosaurs, turtles, crocodiles, early mammals
JURASSIC PERIOD
205 – 146 million years ago
Flying reptiles, birds, large dinosaurs
CRETACEOUS PERIOD
146 – 65 million years ago
Dinosaurs, seed bearing plants
Lower Epoch
146 – 98 million years ago
Upper Epoch
98 – 65 million years ago
Cenozoic Era
65 million years ago – present
PALEOGENE PERIOD
65 – 24 million years ago
Insects, bats, birds, reptiles, mammals
Paleocene Epoch
65 – 54 million years ago
Eocene Epoch
54 – 38 million years ago
Oligocene Epoch
38 – 24 million years ago
NEOGENE PERIOD
24 – 1.8 million years ago
Mammals, humans, birds
Miocene Epoch
24 – 5 million years ago
Pilocene Epoch
5 – 1.8 million years ago
QUATERNARY PERIOD
1.8 million years ago to present
Pleistocene Epoch
1.8 million – 11,700 years ago
Holocene Epoch
11,700 years ago – present
First published 2015; Updated and republished Jan 14 2022 @ 3:47 pm – Updated – [last-modified]
Harvard Reference for this page:
Heather Y Wheeler. (2015 – 2022). Geological Time Periods. Available: http://www.thetimelinegeekhttps://www.thetimelinegeek.com/geological-time-periods. Last accessed [date]