The geologic time scale is a record of the major events and diversity of life forms present in Earth's history. The geologic time scale began when Earth was formed and goes on until the present. It divides Earth's long history into units of time.
Paleozoic Era
"Ancient-Life"
Age of Marine Life
Approximately 540 Million Years Ago - 248 Million Years Ago
The Paleozoic Era is the oldest of the three Eras and dates from 540 million to 248 million years ago. During the Paleozoic Era multi-celled living things started to have more hard body parts, bones, and teeth. Common organisms in the Paleozoic Era included trilobites, fish, insects, amphibians, and early reptiles.
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The Cambrian Explosion (was a good thing!)
The Cambrian Explosion marks the beginning of an entirely new eon in Earth's history and the beginning of the Paleozoic Era. The Cambrian Explosion is one of the rare positive events that marks Earth's history that included a rapid increase of new organisms in the fossil record over a relatively short period of geologic time.
The Paleozoic Era began with the Cambrian Explosion, a rapid period of life flourishing on Earth. Vast amounts of life forms from the oceans moved onto the land. Plants were the first to make the move, followed by invertebrates. Not long afterward, vertebrates took to the land.
Common Animals of the Paleozoic Era
Common Plants of the
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Permian Mass Extinction
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Topic Tips
- The Paleozoic Era was the first era of Earth's history and is marked by the emergence of a great diversity of new living things in the fossil record called the Cambrian Explosion.
- The Paleozoic Era is commonly associated with marine life such as trilobites.
- The Paleozoic Era ended with one of the greatest mass extinctions of all time called the Permian mass extinction or the "Great Dying."