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Finding an Event in Time
Many important events have occurred since Earth formed 4,600 million years ago (mya). Below is a list of some of those events. Your task is to mark on a time line when those events took place. If you haven't already done so, you might want to begin with the "Geologic Time Activity." That activity provides a scale model of a football field that can be used for this activity.

Mark the spot on the time line with an "X" where the following important events in Earth's history occurred.

  1. first microscopic life (3.6 bya)
  2. first multicellular life (900 mya)
  3. first oxygen appears in atmosphere (1.9 bya)
  4. first land plants appear (450 mya)
  5. formation of the Himalayas begins (30 mya)
  6. formation of the Atlantic Ocean begins (150 mya)

In the example below, we have used the football-field model for our time line. On it we have marked the first appearance of dinosaurs (225 mya), the disappearance of dinosaurs (65 mya), and the first appearance of homo sapiens (1/2 mya).

Image of the football field time line with the first appearance of dinosaurs, the disappearance of dinosaurs, and the first appearance of homo sapiens marked on it.  Please have someone assist you with this.

Option: As a group activity, it might be fun to create a geologic time line on the floor of your classroom or a hallway. First, you will need to measure the length of the place you have chosen to make your time line. Second, determine how many inches, feet, or yards represent a given number of years by dividing 4.6 billion by the length of your "time line."

To mark the events in Earth's history, you might prepare a sign representing each event and have students hold the signs and stand in the proper time spots on your geologic time line. (4.6 billion years is a big number to represent. To prevent the need for "student-markers" to stand on top of one another, you may want to use a very large space, such as a gym or a sidewalk for your time line.)

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Geologic Time
Cenozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Paleozoic Era
The Precambrian Eon
Names on the Staircase of Time
How Old is That Rock?
Geologic Time Activity
What is a Million?
Image of a star. Finding an Event in Time
 
             
     
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Geologic Time | Cenozoic Era | Mesozoic Era | Paleozoic Era | The Precambrian Eon | The Staircase of Time | How Old is That Rock? | Geologic Time Activity | What is a Million? | Finding a Place in Time

Diversity | Adaptation | Plate Tectonics | Cycles | Spheres | Biomes | Geologic Time

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