Chronology of the periods of the earth. The longest era in time: what happened on the planet

At first there was nothing. In the vast outer space, there was only a giant cloud of dust and gases. It can be assumed that from time to time spaceships with representatives of the universal mind rushed through this substance at great speed. The humanoids boredly looked out of the windows and did not even remotely guess that in a few billion years intelligence and life would arise in these places.

The gas and dust cloud eventually transformed into the solar system. And after the luminary appeared, the planets appeared. One of them was our native Earth. It happened 4.5 billion years ago. It is from those distant times that the age of the blue planet is counted, thanks to which we exist in this world.

Stages of the Earth's development

The entire history of the Earth is divided into two huge time periods. The first stage is characterized by the absence of complex living organisms. There were only single-celled bacteria that settled on our planet about 3.5 billion years ago. The second stage began about 540 million years ago. This is the time when living multicellular organisms settled on the Earth. This refers to both plants and animals. Moreover, both seas and land became their habitat. The second period continues to this day, and its crown is man.

Such huge time steps are called eons. Each eon has its own eonoteme. The latter represents a certain stage in the geological development of the planet, which is fundamentally different from other stages in the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. That is, each eonoteme is strictly specific and not similar to others.

There are 4 aeons in total. Each of them, in turn, is divided into eras of the Earth, and those are divided into periods. This shows that there is a rigid gradation of large time intervals, and the geological development of the planet is taken as the basis.

catarchean

The most ancient eon is called Katarchaeus. It began 4.6 billion years ago and ended 4 billion years ago. Thus, its duration was 600 million years. Time is very ancient, so it was not divided into eras or periods. At the time of the Katarchean, there was neither the earth's crust nor the core. The planet was a cold cosmic body. The temperature in its bowels corresponded to the melting point of the substance. From above, the surface was covered with regolith, like the lunar surface in our time. The relief was almost flat due to constant powerful earthquakes. Naturally, there was no atmosphere and oxygen.

archaeus

The second aeon is called Archaea. It began 4 billion years ago and ended 2.5 billion years ago. Thus, it lasted 1.5 billion years. It is divided into 4 eras: Eoarchean, Paleoarchean, Mesoarchean and Neoarchean.

Eoarchean(4-3.6 billion years) lasted 400 million years. This is the period of formation of the earth's crust. A huge number of meteorites fell on the planet. This is the so-called Late Heavy Bombardment. It was at that time that the formation of the hydrosphere began. Water appeared on Earth. In large quantities, comets could bring it. But the oceans were still far away. There were separate reservoirs, and the temperature in them reached 90 ° Celsius. The atmosphere was characterized by a high content of carbon dioxide and a low content of nitrogen. There was no oxygen. At the end of the era, the first supercontinent of Vaalbar began to form.

paleoarchaean(3.6-3.2 billion years) lasted 400 million years. In this era, the formation of the solid core of the Earth was completed. There was a strong magnetic field. His tension was half the current. Consequently, the surface of the planet received protection from the solar wind. This period also includes primitive life forms in the form of bacteria. Their remains, which are 3.46 billion years old, have been found in Australia. Accordingly, the oxygen content in the atmosphere began to increase, due to the activity of living organisms. The formation of Vaalbar continued.

Mesoarchean(3.2-2.8 billion years) lasted 400 million years. Most notable was the existence of cyanobacteria. They are capable of photosynthesis and release oxygen. The formation of a supercontinent has been completed. By the end of the era, it had split. There was also a fall of a huge asteroid. A crater from it still exists on the territory of Greenland.

neoarchean(2.8-2.5 billion years) lasted 300 million years. This is the time of formation of the real earth's crust - tectogenesis. Bacteria continued to grow. Traces of their life are found in stromatolites, whose age is estimated at 2.7 billion years. These lime deposits were formed by huge colonies of bacteria. They are found in Australia and South Africa. Photosynthesis continued to improve.

With the end of the Archean, the eras of the Earth were continued in the Proterozoic eon. This is a period of 2.5 billion years - 540 million years ago. It is the longest of all eons on the planet.

Proterozoic

The Proterozoic is divided into 3 eras. The first is called Paleoproterozoic(2.5-1.6 billion years). It lasted 900 million years. This huge time interval is divided into 4 periods: siderium (2.5-2.3 billion years), riasium (2.3-2.05 billion years), orosirium (2.05-1.8 billion years) , statery (1.8-1.6 billion years).

siderius remarkable in the first place oxygen catastrophe. It happened 2.4 billion years ago. It is characterized by a radical change in the Earth's atmosphere. It contained a large amount of free oxygen. Prior to this, the atmosphere was dominated by carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, methane and ammonia. But as a result of photosynthesis and the extinction of volcanic activity at the bottom of the oceans, oxygen filled the entire atmosphere.

Oxygen photosynthesis is characteristic of cyanobacteria that bred on Earth 2.7 billion years ago. Prior to this, archaebacteria dominated. They do not produce oxygen during photosynthesis. In addition, at first oxygen was spent on the oxidation of rocks. In large quantities, it accumulated only in biocenoses or bacterial mats.

In the end, the moment came when the surface of the planet was oxidized. And the cyanobacteria continued to release oxygen. And it began to accumulate in the atmosphere. The process has accelerated due to the fact that the oceans also stopped absorbing this gas.

As a result, anaerobic organisms died, and they were replaced by aerobic ones, that is, those in which energy synthesis was carried out through free molecular oxygen. The planet was enveloped in the ozone layer and the greenhouse effect decreased. Accordingly, the boundaries of the biosphere expanded, and sedimentary and metamorphic rocks turned out to be completely oxidized.

All these metamorphoses led to Huron glaciation, which lasted 300 million years. It began in the siderium, and ended at the end of the riasian 2 billion years ago. The next Orosirium period notable for intensive mountain building processes. At this time, 2 huge asteroids fell on the planet. The crater from one is called Vredefort and is located in South Africa. Its diameter reaches 300 km. Second crater Sudbury is located in Canada. Its diameter is 250 km.

Last statheric period notable for the formation of the supercontinent Columbia. It included almost all the continental blocks of the planet. There was a supercontinent 1.8-1.5 billion years ago. At the same time, cells were formed that contained nuclei. That is eukaryotic cells. This was a very important stage in evolution.

The second era of the Proterozoic is called mesoproterozoic(1.6-1 billion years). Its duration was 600 million years. It is divided into 3 periods: potassium (1.6-1.4 billion years), exatium (1.4-1.2 billion years), stenium (1.2-1 billion years).

At the time of the kalimium, the supercontinent Columbia collapsed. And during the time of exatia, red multicellular algae appeared. This is indicated by a fossil find on the Canadian island of Somerset. Its age is 1.2 billion years. A new supercontinent, Rodinia, formed in the walls. It arose 1.1 billion years ago, and broke up 750 million years ago. Thus, by the end of the Mesoproterozoic, there was 1 supercontinent and 1 ocean on Earth, which was called Mirovia.

The last era of the Proterozoic is called neoproterozoic(1 billion-540 million years). It includes 3 periods: Tonian (1 billion-850 million years), Cryogeny (850-635 million years), Ediacaran (635-540 million years).

During the time of Toni, the disintegration of the supercontinent Rodinia began. This process ended in cryogeny, and the Pannotia supercontinent began to form from 8 separate pieces of land formed. Cryogeny is also characterized by complete glaciation of the planet (Snowball Earth). The ice reached the equator, and after they receded, the process of evolution of multicellular organisms sharply accelerated. The last period of the Neoproterozoic Ediacaran is notable for the appearance of soft-bodied creatures. These multicellular animals are called vendobionts. They were branching tubular structures. This ecosystem is considered the oldest.

Life on Earth originated in the ocean

Phanerozoic

Approximately 540 million years ago, the time of the 4th and last eon, the Phanerozoic, began. There are 3 very important eras of the Earth here. The first is called Paleozoic(540-252 million years). It lasted 288 million years. It is divided into 6 periods: Cambrian (540-480 million years), Ordovician (485-443 million years), Silurian (443-419 million years), Devonian (419-350 million years), Carboniferous (359-299 Ma) and Permian (299-252 Ma).

Cambrian considered the lifetime of trilobites. These are marine animals that look like crustaceans. Together with them, jellyfish, sponges and worms lived in the seas. This abundance of living beings is called Cambrian explosion. That is, there was nothing like this before, and suddenly it suddenly appeared. Most likely, it was in the Cambrian that mineral skeletons began to emerge. Previously, the living world had soft bodies. They, of course, did not survive. Therefore, complex multicellular organisms of more ancient eras cannot be detected.

The Paleozoic is notable for the rapid spread of organisms with hard skeletons. From vertebrates, fish, reptiles and amphibians appeared. In the plant world, algae predominated at first. During Silurian plants began to colonize the land. At the beginning Devonian swampy shores are overgrown with primitive representatives of the flora. These were psilophytes and pteridophytes. Plants reproduced by spores carried by the wind. Plant shoots developed on tuberous or creeping rhizomes.

Plants began to develop land in the Silurian period

There were scorpions, spiders. The real giant was the Meganevra dragonfly. Its wingspan reached 75 cm. Acanthodes are considered the oldest bony fish. They lived during the Silurian period. Their bodies were covered with dense diamond-shaped scales. AT carbon, which is also called the Carboniferous period, the most diverse vegetation flourished on the shores of the lagoons and in countless swamps. It was its remains that served as the basis for the formation of coal.

This time is also characterized by the beginning of the formation of the supercontinent Pangea. It was fully formed in the Permian period. And it broke up 200 million years ago into 2 continents. These are the northern continent of Laurasia and the southern continent of Gondwana. Subsequently, Laurasia split, and Eurasia and North America were formed. And South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica arose from Gondwana.

On the Permian there were frequent climate changes. Dry times gave way to wet ones. At this time, lush vegetation appeared on the banks. Typical plants were cordaites, calamites, tree and seed ferns. Mesosaurus lizards appeared in the water. Their length reached 70 cm. But by the end of the Permian period, early reptiles died out and gave way to more developed vertebrates. Thus, in the Paleozoic, life reliably and densely settled on the blue planet.

Of particular interest to scientists are the following eras of the Earth. 252 million years ago mesozoic. It lasted 186 million years and ended 66 million years ago. It consisted of 3 periods: Triassic (252-201 million years), Jurassic (201-145 million years), Cretaceous (145-66 million years).

The border between the Permian and the Triassic period is characterized by the mass extinction of animals. 96% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrates died. A very strong blow was dealt to the biosphere, and it took a very long time to recover. And it all ended with the appearance of dinosaurs, pterosaurs and ichthyosaurs. These sea and land animals were of enormous size.

But the main tectonic event of those years - the collapse of Pangea. A single supercontinent, as already mentioned, was divided into 2 continents, and then broke up into those continents that we know now. The Indian subcontinent also broke away. Subsequently, it connected with the Asian plate, but the collision was so violent that the Himalayas were created.

Such nature was in the early Cretaceous period

The Mesozoic is notable for being considered the warmest period of the Phanerozoic eon.. This is the time of global warming. It began in the Triassic and ended at the end of the Cretaceous. For 180 million years, even in the Arctic there were no stable pack glaciers. Heat spread evenly throughout the planet. At the equator, the average annual temperature corresponded to 25-30 ° Celsius. The polar regions were characterized by a moderately cool climate. In the first half of the Mesozoic, the climate was dry, while the second half was characterized by humid. It was at this time that the equatorial climatic zone was formed.

In the animal world, mammals arose from a subclass of reptiles. This was due to the improvement of the nervous system and brain. The limbs moved from the sides under the body, the reproductive organs became more perfect. They ensured the development of the embryo in the mother's body, followed by feeding it with milk. A woolen cover appeared, blood circulation and metabolism improved. The first mammals appeared in the Triassic, but they could not compete with dinosaurs. Therefore, for more than 100 million years, they occupied a dominant position in the ecosystem.

The last era is Cenozoic(beginning 66 million years ago). This is the current geological period. That is, we all live in the Cenozoic. It is divided into 3 periods: the Paleogene (66-23 million years), the Neogene (23-2.6 million years) and the modern anthropogen or Quaternary period, which began 2.6 million years ago.

There are 2 major events in the Cenozoic. The mass extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago and the general cooling on the planet. The death of animals is associated with the fall of a huge asteroid with a high content of iridium. The diameter of the cosmic body reached 10 km. This resulted in the formation of a crater. Chicxulub with a diameter of 180 km. It is located on the Yucatan Peninsula in Central America.

Earth's surface 65 million years ago

After the fall, there was an explosion of great force. Dust rose into the atmosphere and covered the planet from the sun's rays. The average temperature dropped by 15°. Dust hung in the air for a whole year, which led to a sharp cooling. And since the Earth was inhabited by large heat-loving animals, they died out. Only small representatives of the fauna remained. It was they who became the ancestors of the modern animal world. This theory is based on iridium. The age of its layer in geological deposits corresponds exactly to 65 million years.

During the Cenozoic, the continents diverged. Each of them formed its own unique flora and fauna. The diversity of marine, flying and land animals has increased significantly in comparison with the Paleozoic. They have become much more advanced, and mammals have taken the dominant position on the planet. In the plant world, higher angiosperms appeared. This is the presence of a flower and an ovule. There were also cereal crops.

The most important thing in the last era is anthropogen or Quaternary, which began 2.6 million years ago. It consists of 2 epochs: the Pleistocene (2.6 million years - 11.7 thousand years) and the Holocene (11.7 thousand years - our time). During the Pleistocene era mammoths, cave lions and bears, marsupial lions, saber-toothed cats and many other animal species that became extinct at the end of the era lived on Earth. 300 thousand years ago, a man appeared on the blue planet. It is believed that the first Cro-Magnons chose for themselves the eastern regions of Africa. At the same time, Neanderthals lived on the Iberian Peninsula.

Notable for the Pleistocene and Ice Ages. For a whole 2 million years, very cold and warm periods of time alternated on Earth. Over the past 800 thousand years, there have been 8 ice ages with an average duration of 40 thousand years. In cold times, glaciers advanced on the continents, and receded in interglacials. At the same time, the level of the World Ocean was rising. About 12 thousand years ago, already in the Holocene, another ice age ended. The climate became warm and humid. Thanks to this, humanity has settled all over the planet.

The Holocene is an interglacial. It has been going on for 12 thousand years. Human civilization has been developing for the last 7 thousand years. The world has changed in many ways. Significant transformations, thanks to the activities of people, have undergone flora and fauna. Today, many animal species are on the verge of extinction. Man has long considered himself the ruler of the world, but the eras of the Earth have not disappeared. Time continues its steady course, and the blue planet conscientiously revolves around the Sun. In a word, life goes on, but what will happen next - the future will show.

The article was written by Vitaly Shipunov

The origin of life on Earth took place about 3.8 billion years ago, when the formation of the earth's crust ended. Scientists have found that the first living organisms appeared in the aquatic environment, and only after a billion years did the first creatures come to the surface of the land.

The formation of terrestrial flora was facilitated by the formation of organs and tissues in plants, the ability to reproduce by spores. Animals also evolved significantly and adapted to life on land: internal fertilization, the ability to lay eggs, and pulmonary respiration appeared. An important stage of development was the formation of the brain, conditioned and unconditioned reflexes, survival instincts. The further evolution of animals provided the basis for the formation of mankind.

The division of the history of the Earth into eras and periods gives an idea of ​​the features of the development of life on the planet in different time periods. Scientists identify particularly significant events in the formation of life on Earth in separate periods of time - eras, which are divided into periods.

There are five eras:

• Archean;
• Proterozoic;
• Paleozoic;
• Mesozoic;
• Cenozoic.

The Archean era began about 4.6 billion years ago, when the planet Earth only began to form and there were no signs of life on it. The air contained chlorine, ammonia, hydrogen, the temperature reached 80 °, the radiation level exceeded the permissible limits, under such conditions the origin of life was impossible.

It is believed that about 4 billion years ago our planet collided with a celestial body, and the result was the formation of the Earth's satellite - the Moon. This event became significant in the development of life, stabilized the axis of rotation of the planet, contributed to the purification of water structures. As a result, the first life originated in the depths of the oceans and seas: protozoa, bacteria and cyanobacteria.

The Proterozoic era lasted from about 2.5 billion years to 540 million years ago. Remains of unicellular algae, mollusks, annelids were found. Soil is starting to form.

The air at the beginning of the era was not yet saturated with oxygen, but in the process of life, the bacteria that inhabit the seas began to release more and more O 2 into the atmosphere. When the amount of oxygen was at a stable level, many creatures took a step in evolution and switched to aerobic respiration.

The Paleozoic era includes six periods.

Cambrian period(530 - 490 million years ago) is characterized by the emergence of representatives of all types of plants and animals. The oceans were inhabited by algae, arthropods, mollusks, and the first chordates (Haikouihthys) appeared. The land remained uninhabited. The temperature remained high.

Ordovician period(490 - 442 million years ago). The first settlements of lichens appeared on land, and the megalograpt (a representative of arthropods) began to come ashore to lay eggs. Vertebrates, corals, sponges continue to develop in the thickness of the ocean.

Silurian(442 - 418 million years ago). Plants come to land, and rudiments of lung tissue form in arthropods. The formation of the bone skeleton in vertebrates is completed, sensory organs appear. Mountain building is underway, different climatic zones are being formed.

Devonian(418 - 353 million years ago). The formation of the first forests, mainly ferns, is characteristic. Bone and cartilaginous organisms appear in water bodies, amphibians began to land on land, new organisms are formed - insects.

Carboniferous period(353 - 290 million years ago). The appearance of amphibians, the sinking of the continents, at the end of the period there was a significant cooling, which led to the extinction of many species.

Permian period(290 - 248 million years ago). The earth is inhabited by reptiles, therapsids appeared - the ancestors of mammals. The hot climate led to the formation of deserts, where only resistant ferns and some conifers could survive.

The Mesozoic era is divided into 3 periods:

Triassic(248 - 200 million years ago). The development of gymnosperms, the appearance of the first mammals. The division of land into continents.

Jurassic period(200 - 140 million years ago). The emergence of angiosperms. The emergence of the ancestors of birds.

Cretaceous period(140 - 65 million years ago). Angiosperms (flowering) became the dominant group of plants. The development of higher mammals, real birds.

The Cenozoic era consists of three periods:

Lower Tertiary period or Paleogene(65 - 24 million years ago). The disappearance of most cephalopods, lemurs and primates appear, later parapithecus and dryopithecus. The development of the ancestors of modern mammalian species - rhinos, pigs, rabbits, etc.

Upper Tertiary or Neogene(24 - 2.6 million years ago). Mammals inhabit land, water and air. The emergence of Australopithecus - the first ancestors of humans. During this period, the Alps, the Himalayas, the Andes were formed.

Quaternary or Anthropogene(2.6 million years ago - today). A significant event of the period is the appearance of man, first Neanderthals, and soon Homo sapiens. The flora and fauna have acquired modern features.

The history of our planet still holds many mysteries. Scientists from various fields of natural science have contributed to the study of the development of life on Earth.

It is believed that the age of our planet is about 4.54 billion years. This entire time period is usually divided into two main stages: Phanerozoic and Precambrian. These stages are called eons or eonoteme. Eons, in turn, are divided into several periods, each of which is distinguished by a set of changes that have taken place in the geological, biological, atmospheric state of the planet.

1. Precambrian, or Cryptozoic- this is an eon (time interval of the development of the Earth), covering about 3.8 billion years. That is, the Precambrian is the development of the planet from the moment of formation, the formation of the earth's crust, the proto-ocean and the emergence of life on Earth. By the end of the Precambrian, highly organized organisms with a developed skeleton were already widespread on the planet.

The eon includes two more eonotemes - katarche and archaea. The latter, in turn, includes 4 eras.

1. Katarchaeus- this is the time of the formation of the Earth, but there was still neither the core nor the earth's crust. The planet was still a cold cosmic body. Scientists suggest that during this period there was already water on Earth. The Catarchean lasted about 600 million years.

2. Archaea covers a period of 1.5 billion years. During this period, there was no oxygen on Earth yet, deposits of sulfur, iron, graphite, and nickel were being formed. The hydrosphere and the atmosphere were a single vapor-gas shell that enveloped the globe in a dense cloud. The sun's rays practically did not penetrate through this veil, so darkness reigned on the planet. 2.1 2.1. Eoarchean- this is the first geological era, which lasted about 400 million years. The most important event of the Eoarchean is the formation of the hydrosphere. But there was still little water, the reservoirs existed separately from each other and did not yet merge into the world ocean. At the same time, the earth's crust becomes solid, although asteroids are still bombarding the Earth. At the end of the Eoarchean, the first supercontinent in the history of the planet, Vaalbara, is formed.

2.2 Paleoarchaean- the next era, which also lasted approximately 400 million years. During this period, the core of the Earth is formed, the magnetic field strength increases. A day on the planet lasted only 15 hours. But the oxygen content in the atmosphere increases due to the activity of bacteria that have appeared. The remains of these first forms of the Paleoarchean era of life have been found in Western Australia.

2.3 Mesoarchean also lasted about 400 million years. In the Mesoarchean era, our planet was covered by a shallow ocean. Land areas were small volcanic islands. But already during this period, the formation of the lithosphere begins and the mechanism of plate tectonics starts. At the end of the Mesoarchean, the first ice age occurs, during which snow and ice form for the first time on Earth. Biological species are still represented by bacteria and microbial life forms.

2.4 Neoarchean- the final era of the Archean eon, the duration of which is about 300 million years. Colonies of bacteria at this time form the first stromatolites (limestone deposits) on Earth. The most important event of the Neoarchean is the formation of oxygen photosynthesis.

II. Proterozoic- one of the longest time periods in the history of the Earth, which is usually divided into three eras. During the Proterozoic, the ozone layer first appears, the world ocean reaches almost its present volume. And after the longest Huron glaciation, the first multicellular life forms appeared on Earth - mushrooms and sponges. The Proterozoic is usually divided into three eras, each of which contained several periods.

3.1 Paleo-Proterozoic- the first era of the Proterozoic, which began 2.5 billion years ago. At this time, the lithosphere is fully formed. But the former forms of life, due to the increase in oxygen content, practically died out. This period is called the oxygen catastrophe. By the end of the era, the first eukaryotes appear on Earth.

3.2 Mesoproterozoic lasted approximately 600 million years. The most important events of this era: the formation of continental masses, the formation of the supercontinent Rodinia and the evolution of sexual reproduction.

3.3 Neo-proterozoic. During this era, Rodinia breaks up into about 8 parts, the super-ocean of Mirovia ceases to exist, and at the end of the era, the Earth is covered with ice almost to the equator. In the Neoproterozoic era, living organisms for the first time begin to acquire a hard shell, which will later serve as the basis of the skeleton.

III. Paleozoic- the first era of the Phanerozoic eon, which began approximately 541 million years ago and lasted about 289 million years. This is the era of the emergence of ancient life. The supercontinent Gondwana unites the southern continents, a little later the rest of the land joins it and Pangea appears. Climatic zones begin to form, and flora and fauna are represented mainly by marine species. Only towards the end of the Paleozoic does the development of land begin, and the first vertebrates appear.

The Paleozoic era is conditionally divided into 6 periods.

1. Cambrian period lasted 56 million years. During this period, the main rocks are formed, the mineral skeleton appears in living organisms. And the most important event of the Cambrian is the appearance of the first arthropods.

2. Ordovician period- the second period of the Paleozoic, which lasted 42 million years. This is the era of the formation of sedimentary rocks, phosphorites and oil shale. The organic world of the Ordovician is represented by marine invertebrates and blue-green algae.

3. Silurian period covers the next 24 million years. At this time, almost 60% of living organisms that existed before die out. But the first cartilaginous and bone fish in the history of the planet appear. On land, the Silurian is marked by the appearance of vascular plants. Supercontinents converge and form Laurasia. By the end of the period, ice melting was noted, the sea level rose, and the climate became milder.

4 Devonian is characterized by the rapid development of various forms of life and the development of new ecological niches. Devon covers a time interval of 60 million years. The first terrestrial vertebrates, spiders, and insects appear. Land animals develop lungs. Although fish still dominate. The kingdom of flora of this period is represented by ferns, horsetails, club mosses and gosperms.

5. Carboniferous period often referred to as carbon. At this time, Laurasia collides with Gondwana and the new supercontinent Pangea appears. A new ocean is also formed - Tethys. This is the time when the first amphibians and reptiles appeared.

6. Permian period- the last period of the Paleozoic, which ended 252 million years ago. It is believed that at this time a large asteroid fell to Earth, which led to significant climate change and the extinction of almost 90% of all living organisms. Most of the land is covered with sand, the most extensive deserts appear that have only existed in the entire history of the Earth's development.

IV. Mesozoic- the second era of the Phanerozoic eon, which lasted almost 186 million years. At this time, the continents acquire almost modern outlines. A warm climate contributes to the rapid development of life on Earth. Giant ferns disappear, and angiosperms appear to replace them. The Mesozoic is the era of dinosaurs and the appearance of the first mammals.

The Mesozoic era is divided into three periods: Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous.

1. Triassic period lasted a little over 50 million years. At this time, Pangea begins to split, and the inland seas gradually become smaller and dry up. The climate is mild, the zones are not pronounced. Nearly half of land plants are disappearing as deserts spread. And in the realm of fauna, the first warm-blooded and terrestrial reptiles appear, which became the ancestors of dinosaurs and birds.

2 Jurassic covers a gap of 56 million years. A humid and warm climate reigned on Earth. The land is covered with thickets of ferns, pines, palms, cypresses. Dinosaurs reign on the planet, and numerous mammals have so far been distinguished by their small stature and thick hair.

3 Cretaceous- the longest period of the Mesozoic, lasting almost 79 million years. The split of the continents is practically coming to an end, the Atlantic Ocean is significantly increasing in volume, and ice sheets are forming at the poles. An increase in the water mass of the oceans leads to the formation of a greenhouse effect. At the end of the Cretaceous, a catastrophe occurs, the causes of which are still not clear. As a result, all dinosaurs and most species of reptiles and gymnosperms became extinct.

V. Cenozoic- this is the era of animals and Homo sapiens, which began 66 million years ago. The continents at this time acquired their modern shape, Antarctica occupied the south pole of the Earth, and the oceans continued to grow. Plants and animals that survived the catastrophe of the Cretaceous period found themselves in a completely new world. Unique communities of lifeforms began to form on each continent.

The Cenozoic era is divided into three periods: Paleogene, Neogene and Quaternary.

1. Paleogene period ended approximately 23 million years ago. At that time, a tropical climate reigned on Earth, Europe was hiding under evergreen tropical forests, and deciduous trees grew only in the north of the continents. It was during the Paleogene period that the rapid development of mammals takes place.

2. Neogene period covers the next 20 million years of the planet's development. Whales and bats appear. And, although saber-toothed tigers and mastodons still roam the earth, the fauna is increasingly acquiring modern features.

3. Quaternary period began more than 2.5 million years ago and continues to this day. Two major events characterize this time period: the Ice Age and the advent of man. The Ice Age completely completed the formation of the climate, flora and fauna of the continents. And the appearance of man marked the beginning of civilization.

Stages of development of the planet. Of great importance for geographical science is the ability to determine the age of the Earth and the earth's crust, as well as the time of significant events that occurred in the history of their development. The history of the development of the planet Earth is divided into two stages: planetary and geological.

planetary stagecovers the period of time from the birth of the Earth as a planet to the formation of the earth's crust. The scientific hypothesis about the formation of the Earth (as a cosmic body) appeared on the basis of general views on the origin of other planets that make up the solar system. You know that the Earth is one of the 8 planets of the solar system from the 6th grade course. Planet Earth was formed 3.5-5 billion years ago. This stage ended with the appearance of the primary lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere (3.7-3.8 billion years ago).

Geological stagebegan with the appearance of the first rudiments of the earth's crust, which continues to the present. During this period, various rocks were formed. The earth's crust has repeatedly been subjected to slow ups and downs under the influence of internal forces. During periods of subsidence, the territories were flooded with water and sedimentary rocks (sands, clays, etc.) were deposited at the bottom, and during periods of uplift of the sea bottom, plains formed here, composed of these sedimentary rocks.

Thus, the original structure of the earth's crust began to change. This process continued uninterrupted. At the bottom of the seas and depressions of the continents, a sedimentary layer of rocks accumulated, among which were the remains of plants and animals. Each geological period corresponds to their specific forks, because the organic world is in constant development.

Determination of the age of rocks. In order to determine the age of the Earth and present the history of its geological development, methods of relative and absolute chronology (geochronology) are used.

To determine relative age of rocks, it is necessary to know the patterns of successive occurrence of layers of sedimentary rocks of different composition. Their essence is as follows: if the layer of sedimentary rocks lies in an undisturbed state, as they were deposited one after another on the bottom of the moraines, then this means that the layer lying below was deposited earlier, and the layer lying above was formed later, therefore, he is younger.

Indeed, if there is no lower layer, then it is clear that the upper layer covering it cannot be formed, therefore, the lower the sedimentary layer is located, the greater its age. The topmost layer is considered the youngest.

In determining the relative age of rocks, the study of the successive occurrence of sedimentary rocks of different compositions and the fossilized remains of animal and plant organisms contained in them is of great importance. As a result of the painstaking work of scientists to determine the geological age of rocks and the time of development of plant and animal organisms, a geochronological table was compiled. It was approved at the II International Geological Congress in 1881 in Bologna. It is based on the stages of life development identified by paleontology. This table-scale is constantly being improved. The current state of the table is given on p. 45.

The scale units are era. They are divided into periods, which are subdivided into era. The five largest of these divisions (eras) bear names associated with the nature of the life that existed then. For example, ar-hey- early life time p[utherozoic- the era of primary life, Paleozoic- the era of ancient life, mesozoic- the era of middle life, Cenozoic - era of new life.

Eras are subdivided into shorter periods of time - periods(sometimes called systems). Their names are different. Some of them come from the names of rocks that are most characteristic of this time (for example carbonic period in the Paleozoic and Cretaceous in the Mesozoic). Most of the periods are named after those localities in which the deposits of one or another period are most fully represented and where these deposits were first characterized. The earliest period of the Paleozoic Cambrian got its name from the Cambrian - an ancient state in the west of England. Names of the next periods leozoic - Ordovician and Silurian- come from the names of the ancient tribes of the Ordovicians and Silures, who inhabited the territory of present-day Wales.

To distinguish between the systems of the geochronological table, conventional signs are adopted. Geological eras are indicated by indices (signs) - the initial letters of their Latin names (for example, archaean - AR ), and period indices - by the first letter of their Latin names (for example, Permian P).

Definition absolute age of rocks began at the beginning of the 20th century, after the law of decay of radioactive elements was discovered. Its essence is as follows. In the bowels of the Earth are radioactive elements, such as uranium. Over time, it slowly, at a constant rate, decays into helium and lead. The helium dissipates, while the lead remains in the rock. Knowing the decay rate of uranium (out of 100 g of uranium, 1 g of lead is released over 74 million years), it is possible to calculate how many years ago it was formed by the amount of lead contained in the rock.

The use of radiometric methods made it possible to determine the age of many rocks that make up the earth's crust. Thanks to these studies, it was possible to establish the geological and planetary age of the Earth. Based on the relative and absolute methods of reckoning, a geochronological table was compiled.

1. What stages is the geological history of the Earth's development divided into?

2. What stage of the development of the Earth is geological?

3*. How is the relative and absolute age of rocks determined?

1. Compare the duration of geological eras and periods according to the geochronological table.

The emergence of the Earth and the early stages of its formation

One of the important tasks of modern natural science in the field of Earth sciences is the restoration of the history of its development. According to modern cosmogonic concepts, the Earth was formed from gas and dust scattered in the protosolar system. One of the most probable variants of the origin of the Earth is as follows. Initially, the Sun and a flattened rotating circumsolar nebula were formed from an interstellar gas and dust cloud under the influence of, for example, the explosion of a nearby supernova. Next, the evolution of the Sun and the circumsolar nebula took place with the transmission of the moment of momentum from the Sun to the planets by electromagnetic or turbulent-convective methods. Subsequently, the "dusty plasma" condensed into rings around the Sun, and the material of the rings formed the so-called planetesimals, which condensed to planets. After that, a similar process was repeated around the planets, which led to the formation of satellites. This process is believed to have taken about 100 million years.

It is assumed that further, as a result of the differentiation of the Earth's substance under the influence of its gravitational field and radioactive heating, different in chemical composition, state of aggregation and physical properties of the shell - the Earth's geosphere - arose and developed. The heavier material formed a core, probably composed of iron mixed with nickel and sulfur. Somewhat lighter elements remained in the mantle. According to one of the hypotheses, the mantle is composed of simple oxides of aluminum, iron, titanium, silicon, etc. The composition of the earth's crust has already been discussed in sufficient detail in § 8.2. It is composed of lighter silicates. Even lighter gases and moisture formed the primary atmosphere.

As already mentioned, it is assumed that the Earth was born from a cluster of cold solid particles that fell out of a gas and dust nebula and stuck together under the influence of mutual attraction. As the planet grew, it warmed up due to the collision of these particles, which reached several hundred kilometers, like modern asteroids, and the release of heat not only by naturally radioactive elements now known to us in the crust, but also by more than 10 radioactive isotopes Al, Be, which have since died out. Cl, etc. As a result, complete (in the core) or partial (in the mantle) melting of the substance could occur. In the initial period of its existence, up to about 3.8 billion years, the Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the Moon, were subjected to increased bombardment by small and large meteorites. The result of this bombardment and an earlier collision of planetesimals could be the release of volatiles and the beginning of the formation of a secondary atmosphere, since the primary one, which consisted of gases captured during the formation of the Earth, most likely quickly dissipated into outer space. A little later, the hydrosphere began to form. The atmosphere and hydrosphere formed in this way were replenished in the process of degassing of the mantle during volcanic activity.

The fall of large meteorites created vast and deep craters, similar to those currently observed on the Moon, Mars, Mercury, where their traces have not been erased by subsequent changes. The crater formation could provoke magma outpourings with the formation of basalt fields similar to those covering the lunar "seas". Thus, the primary crust of the Earth was probably formed, which, however, has not been preserved on its modern surface, with the exception of relatively small fragments in the “younger” crust of the continental type.

This crust, containing in its composition already granites and gneisses, however, with a lower content of silica and potassium than in "normal" granites, appeared at the turn of about 3.8 billion years and is known to us from outcrops within the crystalline shields of almost all continents. The method of formation of the oldest continental crust is still largely unclear. This crust, metamorphosed everywhere under conditions of high temperatures and pressures, contains rocks whose textural features indicate accumulation in the aquatic environment, i.e. in this distant epoch the hydrosphere already existed. The appearance of the first crust, similar to the modern one, required the supply of large amounts of silica, aluminum, and alkalis from the mantle, while now mantle magmatism creates a very limited volume of rocks enriched in these elements. It is believed that 3.5 billion years ago, gray-gneiss crust, named after the predominant type of its constituent rocks, was widespread on the area of ​​modern continents. In our country, for example, it is known on the Kola Peninsula and in Siberia, in particular in the basin of the river. Aldan.

Principles of periodization of the geological history of the Earth

Further events in geologic time are often determined according to relative geochronology, categories "old", "younger". For example, some era is older than some other. Separate segments of geological history are called (in decreasing order of their duration) zones, eras, periods, epochs, centuries. Their identification is based on the fact that geological events are imprinted in rocks, and sedimentary and volcanogenic rocks are located in layers in the earth's crust. In 1669, N. Stenoy established the law of stratification sequence, according to which the underlying layers of sedimentary rocks are older than the overlying ones, i.e. formed before them. Thanks to this, it became possible to determine the relative sequence of the formation of layers, and hence the geological events associated with them.

The main method in relative geochronology is the biostratigraphic, or paleontological, method of establishing the relative age and sequence of the occurrence of rocks. This method was proposed by W. Smith at the beginning of the 19th century, and then developed by J. Cuvier and A. Brongniart. The fact is that in most sedimentary rocks one can find the remains of animal or plant organisms. J.B. Lamarck and C. Darwin established that animals and plant organisms in the course of geological history gradually improved in the struggle for existence, adapting to changing living conditions. Some animal and plant organisms died out at certain stages of the development of the Earth, they were replaced by others, more perfect ones. Thus, according to the remains of earlier living more primitive ancestors found in some layer, one can judge the relatively older age of this layer.

Another method of geochronological separation of rocks, especially important for the separation of igneous formations of the ocean floor, is based on the property of the magnetic susceptibility of rocks and minerals formed in the Earth's magnetic field. With a change in the orientation of the rock relative to the magnetic field or the field itself, part of the "inherent" magnetization is retained, and the change in polarity is imprinted in a change in the orientation of the remanent magnetization of the rocks. Currently, a scale for the change of such epochs has been established.

Absolute geochronology - the doctrine of the measurement of geological time, expressed in ordinary absolute astronomical units(years), - determines the time of occurrence, completion and duration of all geological events, primarily the time of formation or transformation (metamorphism) of rocks and minerals, since the age of geological events is determined by their age. The main method here is the analysis of the ratio of radioactive substances and their decay products in rocks formed in different eras.

The oldest rocks are currently established in West Greenland (3.8 billion years). The oldest age (4.1 - 4.2 Ga) was obtained from zircons from Western Australia, but the zircon here occurs in a redeposited state in Mesozoic sandstones. Taking into account the concept of the simultaneity of the formation of all the planets of the solar system and the moon and the age of the most ancient meteorites (4.5-4.6 billion years) and ancient lunar rocks (4.0-4.5 billion years), the age of the Earth is assumed to be 4.6 billion years.

In 1881, at the II International Geological Congress in Bologna (Italy), the main divisions of the combined stratigraphic (for separating layered sedimentary rocks) and geochronological scales were approved. According to this scale, the history of the Earth was divided into four eras in accordance with the stages of development of the organic world: 1) Archean, or Archeozoic - the era of ancient life; 2) Paleozoic - the era of ancient life; 3) Mesozoic - the era of middle life; 4) Cenozoic - the era of new life. In 1887, the Proterozoic, the era of primary life, was singled out from the Archean era. Later the scale was improved. One of the variants of the modern geochronological scale is presented in Table. 8.1. The Archean era is divided into two parts: early (older than 3500 Ma) and late Archean; Proterozoic - also into two: early and late Proterozoic; in the latter, the Riphean (the name comes from the ancient name of the Ural Mountains) and Vendian periods are distinguished. The Phanerozoic zone is subdivided into the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras and consists of 12 periods.

Table 8.1. Geological scale

The main stages of the evolution of the earth's crust

Let us briefly consider the main stages in the evolution of the earth's crust as an inert substrate, on which the diversity of the surrounding nature has developed.

ATapxee The still rather thin and plastic crust, under the influence of extension, experienced numerous discontinuities, through which basaltic magma again rushed to the surface, filling troughs hundreds of kilometers long and many tens of kilometers wide, known as greenstone belts (they owe this name to the prevailing greenschist low-temperature metamorphism of basalt breeds). Along with basalts, among the lavas of the lower, most thick part of the section of these belts, there are high-magnesian lavas, indicating a very high degree of partial melting of the mantle substance, which indicates a high heat flow, much higher than the modern one. The development of greenstone belts consisted in a change in the type of volcanism towards an increase in the content of silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) in it, in compressional deformations and metamorphism of sedimentary-volcanogenic fulfillment, and, finally, in the accumulation of clastic sediments, indicating the formation of a mountainous relief.

After the change of several generations of greenstone belts, the Archean stage of the evolution of the earth's crust ended 3.0 -2.5 billion years ago with the massive formation of normal granites with a predominance of K 2 O over Na 2 O. Granitization, as well as regional metamorphism, which in some places reached the highest stage, led to the formation of a mature continental crust over most of the area of ​​modern continents. However, this crust turned out to be insufficiently stable: at the beginning of the Proterozoic era, it experienced crushing. At this time, a planetary network of faults and cracks arose, filled with dikes (plate-like geological bodies). One of them, the Great Dike in Zimbabwe, is over 500 km long and up to 10 km wide. In addition, rifting appeared for the first time, giving rise to zones of subsidence, powerful sedimentation and volcanism. Their evolution led to the creation at the end early Proterozoic(2.0-1.7 billion years ago) of folded systems that re-soldered the fragments of the Archean continental crust, which was facilitated by a new era of powerful granite formation.

As a result, by the end of the Early Proterozoic (by the turn of 1.7 billion years ago), a mature continental crust already existed on 60-80% of the area of ​​its modern distribution. Moreover, some scientists believe that at this boundary the entire continental crust formed a single massif - the supercontinent Megagea (large land), which on the other side of the globe was opposed by the ocean - the predecessor of the modern Pacific Ocean - Megathalassa (large sea). This ocean was less deep than modern oceans, because the growth of the volume of the hydrosphere due to degassing of the mantle in the process of volcanic activity continues throughout the subsequent history of the Earth, although more slowly. It is possible that the prototype of Megathalassa appeared even earlier, at the end of the Archean.

In the Catarchean and the beginning of the Archean, the first traces of life appeared - bacteria and algae, and in the Late Archean, algal calcareous structures - stromatolites - spread. In the Late Archean, a radical change in the composition of the atmosphere began, and in the Early Proterozoic, a radical change in the composition of the atmosphere began: under the influence of plant life, free oxygen appeared in it, while the Catharchean and Early Archean atmosphere consisted of water vapor, CO 2 , CO, CH 4 , N, NH 3 and H 2 S with an admixture of HC1, HF and inert gases.

In the Late Proterozoic(1.7-0.6 billion years ago) Megagea began to gradually split, and this process sharply intensified at the end of the Proterozoic. Its traces are extended continental rift systems buried at the base of the sedimentary cover of ancient platforms. Its most important result was the formation of vast intercontinental mobile belts - the North Atlantic, Mediterranean, Ural-Okhotsk, which divided the continents of North America, Eastern Europe, East Asia and the largest fragment of Megagea - the southern supercontinent Gondwana. The central parts of these belts developed on the oceanic crust newly formed during rifting, i.e. the belts were ocean basins. Their depth gradually increased as the hydrosphere grew. At the same time, mobile belts developed along the periphery of the Pacific Ocean, the depth of which also increased. Climatic conditions became more contrasting, as evidenced by the appearance, especially at the end of the Proterozoic, of glacial deposits (tillites, ancient moraines, and water-glacial sediments).

Paleozoic stage The evolution of the earth's crust was characterized by the intensive development of mobile belts - intercontinental and marginal continental (the latter on the periphery of the Pacific Ocean). These belts were divided into marginal seas and island arcs, their sedimentary-volcanogenic strata experienced complex fold-thrust, and then normal-shear deformations, granites were introduced into them and on this basis folded mountain systems were formed. This process proceeded unevenly. It distinguishes a number of intense tectonic epochs and granitic magmatism: Baikal - at the very end of the Proterozoic, Salair (from the Salair ridge in Central Siberia) - at the end of the Cambrian, Takov (from the Takov mountains in the east of the USA) - at the end of the Ordovician, Caledonian ( from the ancient Roman name of Scotland) - at the end of the Silurian, Acadian (Acadia - the ancient name of the northeastern states of the USA) - in the middle of the Devonian, Sudeten - at the end of the Early Carboniferous, Saal (from the river Saale in Germany) - in the middle of the early Permian. The first three tectonic epochs of the Paleozoic are often combined into the Caledonian era of tectogenesis, the last three into the Hercynian or Varisian. In each of the listed tectonic epochs, certain parts of the mobile belts turned into folded mountain structures, and after destruction (denudation) they were part of the foundation of young platforms. But some of them partially experienced activation in subsequent epochs of mountain building.

By the end of the Paleozoic, the intercontinental mobile belts were completely closed and filled with folded systems. As a result of the withering away of the North Atlantic belt, the North American continent closed with the East European, and the latter (after the completion of the development of the Ural-Okhotsk belt) - with the Siberian, Siberian - with the Chinese-Korean. As a result, the supercontinent Laurasia was formed, and the dying off of the western part of the Mediterranean belt led to its unification with the southern supercontinent - Gondwana - into one continental block - Pangea. The eastern part of the Mediterranean belt at the end of the Paleozoic - the beginning of the Mesozoic turned into a huge bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the periphery of which folded mountain structures also rose.

Against the background of these changes in the structure and relief of the Earth, the development of life continued. The first animals appeared as early as the late Proterozoic, and at the very dawn of the Phanerozoic, almost all types of invertebrates existed, but they still lacked the shells or shells that have been known since the Cambrian. In the Silurian (or already in the Ordovician), vegetation began to land on land, and at the end of the Devonian there were forests that became most widespread in the Carboniferous period. Fish appeared in the Silurian, amphibians in the Carboniferous.

Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras - the last major stage in the development of the structure of the earth's crust, which is marked by the formation of modern oceans and the isolation of modern continents. At the beginning of the stage, in the Triassic, Pangea still existed, but already in the early Jurassic, it again split into Laurasia and Gondwana due to the emergence of the latitudinal Tethys ocean, stretching from Central America to Indochina and Indonesia, and in the west and east it merged with the Pacific Ocean (Fig. 8.6); this ocean also included the Central Atlantic. From here, at the end of the Jurassic, the process of moving apart the continents spread to the north, creating the North Atlantic during the Cretaceous period and the early Paleogene, and starting from the Paleogene, the Eurasian basin of the Arctic Ocean (the Amerasian basin arose earlier as part of the Pacific Ocean). As a result, North America separated from Eurasia. In the Late Jurassic, the formation of the Indian Ocean began, and from the beginning of the Cretaceous, the South Atlantic began to open up from the south. This meant the beginning of the disintegration of Gondwana, which existed as a whole throughout the Paleozoic. At the end of the Cretaceous, the North Atlantic joined the South, separating Africa from South America. At the same time, Australia separated from Antarctica, and at the end of the Paleogene, the latter separated from South America.

Thus, by the end of the Paleogene, all modern oceans took shape, all modern continents became isolated, and the appearance of the Earth acquired a form that was basically close to the present. However, there were no modern mountain systems yet.

From the Late Paleogene (40 million years ago), intensive mountain building began, culminating in the last 5 million years. This stage of the formation of young fold-cover mountain structures, the formation of revived arch-block mountains is distinguished as neotectonic. In fact, the neotectonic stage is a sub-stage of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic stage of the Earth's development, since it was at this stage that the main features of the modern Earth relief took shape, starting with the distribution of oceans and continents.

At this stage, the formation of the main features of modern fauna and flora was completed. The Mesozoic era was the era of reptiles, mammals began to predominate in the Cenozoic, and man appeared in the late Pliocene. At the end of the Early Cretaceous, angiosperms appeared and the land acquired grass cover. At the end of the Neogene and Anthropogene, the high latitudes of both hemispheres were covered by a powerful continental glaciation, the relics of which are the ice caps of Antarctica and Greenland. This was the third major glaciation in the Phanerozoic: the first took place in the late Ordovician, the second - at the end of the Carboniferous - the beginning of the Permian; both were common within Gondwana.

QUESTIONS FOR SELF-CHECKING

What are spheroid, ellipsoid and geoid? What are the parameters of the ellipsoid adopted in our country? Why is it needed?

What is the internal structure of the Earth? On the basis of what is the conclusion about its structure made?

What are the main physical parameters of the Earth and how do they change with depth?

What is the chemical and mineralogical composition of the Earth? On what basis is a conclusion made about the chemical composition of the entire Earth and the earth's crust?

What are the main types of the earth's crust are currently distinguished?

What is the hydrosphere? What is the water cycle in nature? What are the main processes occurring in the hydrosphere and its elements?

What is atmosphere? What is its structure? What processes take place within it? What is weather and climate?

Define endogenous processes. What endogenous processes do you know? Briefly describe them.

What is the essence of lithospheric plate tectonics? What are its main provisions?

10. Define exogenous processes. What is the main essence of these processes? What endogenous processes do you know? Briefly describe them.

11. How do endogenous and exogenous processes interact? What are the results of the interaction of these processes? What is the essence of the theories of V. Davis and V. Penk?

What are the current ideas about the origin of the Earth? How was its early formation as a planet?

On the basis of what is the periodization of the geological history of the Earth?

14. How did the earth's crust develop in the geological past of the Earth? What are the main stages in the development of the earth's crust?

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