Fossils of the Paleozoic Era
Fossils of the Paleozoic Era
The Earth is thought to be approximately 4.6 billion years old. For years researchers have turned to fossil remains to learn more about the earth and the organisms that have resided here. The history of the earth has been divided in to a widely accepted tine scale in order to make the study of the earths history more organized and understandable. The geologic time scale is used by all kinds of scientist, including geologist, anthropologist, and paleontologist as a way to break down and relate different events to different time spans throughout the history of the earth. The geological time scale is divided into four different sections which are categorized from longest to shortest as followed: Eons, Eras, Periods, and Epochs. Within each Eon is several eras, periods, and Epoch. Within each Era is different periods and epoch. Finally within each period is different epochs. Spanning roughly 322 years, the Paleozoic Era occupied over half of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Phanerozoic Era, (meaning “time of ancient life”) is extremely significant to the earths history because this is the era that the first “hard” organisms developed. The Paleozoic Era is divided into six geological periods, beginning with the Cambrian period which was approximately 570 million years ago and came to a close at the end of the Permian periods which was approximately 248 million years ago. Other Periods that occurred during this Era included the Ordovician period (492 million years ago), the Silurian Period (435 million years ago), the Devonian Period (412 million years ago), the Lower Carboniferous (Mississippian) Period and Upper Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) Period (354 million years ago). (Perkins) Not only did the Paleozoic Era take up a majority of the Phanerozoic Era, but it was also the most diverse era as well. This era was a huge milestone for many organisms including invertebrates, vertebrates, various fish species, tetrapods, reptiles, as well as
The Earth is thought to be approximately 4.6 billion years old. For years researchers have turned to fossil remains to learn more about the earth and the organisms that have resided here. The history of the earth has been divided in to a widely accepted tine scale in order to make the study of the earths history more organized and understandable. The geologic time scale is used by all kinds of scientist, including geologist, anthropologist, and paleontologist as a way to break down and relate different events to different time spans throughout the history of the earth. The geological time scale is divided into four different sections which are categorized from longest to shortest as followed: Eons, Eras, Periods, and Epochs. Within each Eon is several eras, periods, and Epoch. Within each Era is different periods and epoch. Finally within each period is different epochs. Spanning roughly 322 years, the Paleozoic Era occupied over half of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Phanerozoic Era, (meaning “time of ancient life”) is extremely significant to the earths history because this is the era that the first “hard” organisms developed. The Paleozoic Era is divided into six geological periods, beginning with the Cambrian period which was approximately 570 million years ago and came to a close at the end of the Permian periods which was approximately 248 million years ago. Other Periods that occurred during this Era included the Ordovician period (492 million years ago), the Silurian Period (435 million years ago), the Devonian Period (412 million years ago), the Lower Carboniferous (Mississippian) Period and Upper Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) Period (354 million years ago). (Perkins) Not only did the Paleozoic Era take up a majority of the Phanerozoic Era, but it was also the most diverse era as well. This era was a huge milestone for many organisms including invertebrates, vertebrates, various fish species, tetrapods, reptiles, as well as
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