1. The Study of Rocks and Stuff
Geology
The Study of Rocks and Stuff

2. What the heck is Geology?
This quarter you will learn many new and exciting things.
Geology is the foundation of our Earth and all the life contained within.
Without Geology we wouldn’t have a place to live
Geology is a very broad field

3. What Geology Is…

4. What Geology Isn’t…

5. What Geology Is…

6. What Geology Is…

7. What Geology Isn’t…

8. Geological Timeline
Geology is the study of how the Earth began and its formation.
The earth is 4.6 billion years old.
What the heck happened in that span of time?
The history of the Earth is broken down into four Eras.
Era: a looooong period of time.

9. Note on Fact vs. Theory
The study of Geology and the formation of the Earth is based on scientific evidence that has been found by geologists and paleontologists.
Obviously, according to the timeline, no human was around to document the events, so the evidence is purely circumstantial…or is a theory.

10. Theory
A set of statements devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, that has been widely tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena.
Theories are not facts and facts are not theories.
Theories are simply proposed explanations or ideas.
You can understand a theory without believing in it.

11. Geological Timeline vs. Calendar
We can compare the events that happened on the geologic time scale by looking at it like a regular 365 day calendar year.
This makes it easier because we really don’t know what billions of years “feels like.”
We will begin with the birth of Earth and the beginning of the 1st era: Precambrian Era

12. Precambrian Era
Precambrian Era lasted 400 million years, or on calendar terms, from Jan 1 to Nov 14th.
This is the longest and most boring era.
Not a lot happened, but here are some of the things that did.
Try to hold onto your excitement…

13. March 21, or 3600 mya
Blue-Green Algae

14. Nov 8 or 6700 mya

15. Paleozoic Era
Paleozoic Era lasted for 299 million years or from Nov 15 from Dec 12.
We see the first plants, bugs, and fish come into existence.
Again…a boring era but at least everything dies as the end of this era…

16. Nov 21 or 505 mya

17. Nov 24 or 470 mya

18. Dec 1 or 385 mya

19. Dec 12 or 375 mya

20. Dec 3 or 365 mya

21. Dec 12 or 245 mya
96% of all Earth perishes due to some unknown means…

22. Mesozoic Era
Mesozoic Era lasted for 180 million years or from Dec 12 to Dec 26.
“Age of the Reptiles”
First mammals, dinosaurs, and flowering plants

23. Dec 12 or 240 mya

24. Dec 15 or 210 mya

25. Dec 15- Dec 20 or 195 to 148 mya
Archeopteryx

26. Dec 15- Dec 20 or 195 to 148 mya
Allosaur
Brachiosaur
Stegosaur

27. Dec 22 or 115 mya
First flowering plants

28. Dec 26 or mya

29. Dec 26 or 65 mya All dino’s and life perish Comet or Meteor Impact?
We don’t know…

30. Cenozoic Era
Cenozoic Era lasted for 65 million years or from Dec 26 to Dec 31. We are still in the Cenozoic Era.
“Age of Mammals”
First mammals that we recognize today including ourselves!

31. Dec 27 or 60 mya

32. 12/27 or 57 mya
Ancestor of Modern Day Pig

33. Dec 27 or 55 mya
Eohippus-Ancestor to Modern Day Horse

34. Dec 28 or 39 mya

35. Dec 31 or 1 mya