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This article assembles some of the key events. From evolution to extinction, these are events that have unfolded as part of the Earth timeline. Though opinions vary, we’ve leaped through 4.5 billion years of Earth’s history and provided a general guideline.
The history of Earth is divided into four great eons, starting 4,540 mya with the formation of the planet. Each eon saw the most significant changes in Earth's composition, climate and life.
Over 4.5 billion years ago, our solar system formed from a giant molecular cloud that collapsed under its own tremendous gravity. The hot stew of hydrogen and helium gave birth to our sun and flung out a wide disc of gas and particles in the surrounding space.
Slide through the timeline above to explore how the globe has changed over seven major “snapshots” in our climate history, and to see how it might look in the far future.
Geologic time, the extensive interval of time occupied by the geologic history of Earth. Formal geologic time begins with the Archean Eon (4.0 billion to 2.5 billion years ago) and continues to the present day. Modern geologic time scales also include the Hadean Eon (4.6 billion to 4.0 billion years ago).
In some respects, the Neoproterozoic era is one of the most profound time periods in Earth’s history. It bookends two major moments in the planet’s evolutionary timeline, with predominantly microbial life on one side, and the introduction of diverse, multicellular organisms on the other.
Describe the origins the of the Universe in the context of Big Bang theory. Describe the origins of our solar system in the context of nebular theory. Identify major tectonic and biologic events that occurred in various geologic eons. Based on An Introduction to Geology, Chapter 8: Earth History.
Follow the history of our home planet over billions of years, from a molten ball of lava to the thriving life of today
Understanding the timeline of Earth’s formation and the differentiation of its layers provides insight into the planet’s long and complex history.
Astronaut describes seeing Earth from space for the first time → The Moons of the Solar System in Perspective. Author Andy Bergmann created the Timeline of Earth to get a better sense of how key events relate in time over our planet's 4.6 billion year history.