Names: ____________________________________________________________ Hr: ________

Geologic Timeline Activity: Group Option (3 or 4 people)

1. Measure out 4.6 meters of adding machine paper measure twice, cut once! Label Earths Formation on
the left side of your paper and Present Day on the right side of the paper.
2. Copy the following scale onto your timeline in big, colorful letters. You should probably put it the
Precambrian section where you will have the most room. Scale: 1 mm = 1 million years, 1 cm = 10 million
years, and 1 meter = 1 billion years. Label 1, 2, 3, and 4 billion years on your paper (remember 1 m = 1 billion
years).
3. PreCambrian time lasted from Earths formation for 4,058,000,000 years. Using your scale, 1 mm = 1
million years, mark off the beginning (at zero) and end of PreCambrian time (measure out 405.8 cm). Label
this section of your timeline in big colored letters.
4. The Paleozoic Era lasted from the end of PreCambrian time for 291,000,000 years (291 million). Label this
section of your timeline in big colored letters. (measure 29.1 cm from the end of PreCambrian time)
5. The Mesozoic Era lasted from the end of the Paleozoic Era for 185,500,000 years (185 million). Label this
section of your timeline in big colored letters. (18.55 cm from the end of Paleozoic time)
7. The Cenozoic Era lasted from the end of the Mesozoic Era to present day. Label this section of your timeline
in big colored letters.
9. Use the Geologic Time Scale on page 231 of your book to label the following events on your timeline. I am
not going to require you to have every event in the EXACT right spot just make sure its in the right Era
and towards the right section (beginning, middle, end) of that Era.
_______ Continental Shields form

_______ Pangaea comes together

_______ Trilobites common

_______ Pangaea breaks apart

_______ Atmosphere becomes O2-rich

_______ Dinosaurs are dominant life form

_______ Land plants/animals appear

_______Humans appear

_______ Coal deposits form

10. Make a PURPLE STAR on your time scale to indicate where the two mass extinctions took place in Earths
history. Label each mass extinction and describe what became extinct (you may need to look in your book or
your notes).
11. Label:

The Age of Fishes

The Age of Reptiles

The Age of Mammals

12. Draw and color at least three pictures for each of the following time periods. The pictures should
represent what was going on during that time in Earths history.
PreCambrian Time

Paleozoic Era

Mesozoic Era

Cenozoic Era

13. Make a title that is appropriate for this assignment in big, colored letters somewhere on your paper.
14. Make your timeline neat, colorful, and creative.
15. Neatly write your names and hour somewhere on your timeline. You will be able to use your timeline to
take a quiz about the geologic timescale on Friday, so do your best work.
Timeline due: ___________________________________2015