Most of the descriptions of of the events on this timeline are taken directly from the Wikipedia article about the event itself. Where possible, I've included links back to the article that verifies the event happened when the timeline places it. In some cases, however, I was unable to verify the date of the event, and in these cases I've provided a link to the Wikipedia article that seemed most relevant.;xNLx;;xNLx;For example, I was unable to verify the claim that the first possible comb-jellies, sponges, corals, and anemones appear in the fossil record at 550 million years ago. This entry on the timeline links instead to the individual Wikipedia articles about these specific creatures.;xNLx;;xNLx;In some rare cases where the Wikipedia information seemed incomplete, I have provided a link to the outside sources the Wikipedia articles reference.;xNLx;;xNLx;If you find errors or omissions, feel free to contact me and I'll do my best to correct them.;xNLx;;xNLx;If I'm using an image that is copywritten, ;xSTx;em;xETx;please;xSTx;/em;xETx; let me know which event it's used in so I can find a replacement for it.;xNLx;;xSTx;br;xETx;;xNLx;;xNLx;Sincerely,;xNLx;Gabriel Stevens;xNLx;;xSTx;a href="mailto:gabriel@ink-smudge.com?subject=Timeline of Natural History";xETx;[Email Me];xSTx;/a;xETx;
The first geologic period in the Neoproterozoic Era.
The terminal Era of the formal Proterozoic Eon (or the informal "Precambrian"), it is further subdivided into the Tonian, Cryogenian, and Ediacaran Periods.
Rodinia is a supercontinent which contained most or all of Earth's landmass.
The dinoflagellates are a large group of flagellate protists. Most are marine plankton, but they are common in fresh water habitats as well.
The final geologic period in the Mesoproterozoic Era.
The Grenville Orogeny was a long-lived Mesoproterozoic mountain-building event associated with the assembly of the supercontinent Rodinia.
The first galaxies came together about 500 million years after the first stars formed.
Birth of the second oldest known star, HE 1523-0901.
HD 140283 is a metal-poor subgiant star about 190.1 light years away from the Earth.
The first stars began to shine about 13.6 billion years ago.
The formation of the universe according to the Big Bang theory.
The second geologic period in the Mesoproterozoic Era.
First structurally complex eukaryotes.
The first geologic period in the Mesoproterozoic Era.
The Mesoproterozoic was the first period of Earth's history of which a respectable geological record survives.
The final geologic period in the Paleoproterozoic Era.
Columbia, also known as Nuna and Hudsonland, was one of Earth's ancient supercontinents.
Oldest ergs develop on several cratons.
Sudbury impact structure formed.
The Oklo natural nuclear reactor of Gabon produced by uranium-precipitant bacteria.
First acritarchs evolved.
Vredefort impact structure forms.
The third geologic period in the Paleoproterozoic Era.
Continental Red Beds found, produced by iron in weathered sandstone being exposed to oxygen.
Earliest known eukaryote fossils found. Earliest multicellular organisms (Francevillian Group Fossil).
The second geologic period in the Paleoproterozoic Era.
Earth's atmosphere starts to become oxygenic.
Huronian glaciation was probably caused from oxidation of earlier methane greenhouse gas produced by burial of organic sediments of photosynthesizers.
A geological eon representing the time just before the proliferation of complex life on Earth.
This is when the continents first stabilized. This is also when cyanobacteria evolved, a type of bacteria which uses the biochemical process of photosynthesis to produce energy and oxygen.
The first geologic period in the Paleoproterozoic Era.
Banded iron formations form.
Assembly of Arctica out of the Canadian Laurentian Shield and Siberian craton.
Oldest known giant carbonate platform, a sedimentary body which possesses topographic relief.
Biomarkers of cyanobacteria and other early life-forms based on oxygenic photosynthesis discovered.
Formation of the Temagami greenstone belt which will eventually reside in Temagami, Ontario, Canada.
A geologic era within the Archaean.
Kenorland was one of the earliest supercontinents on Earth.
A geologic era within the Archean.
Assembly of the Ur supercontinent to cover between 12–16% of the current continental crust.
Onset of compressional tectonics, the shortening and thickening of sections of the Earth's crust.
Fossils of bacteria have been found in chert, a fine-grained, sedimentary rock.
Fossils resembling cyanobacteria, found at Warrawoona, Western Australia.
Vaalbara is theorized to be Earth's first supercontinent. The name Vaalbara is derived from the South African Kaapvaal craton and the West Australian Pilbara craton. These cratons were combined during the time of the Vaalbara supercontinent.
A geologic era within the Archaean.
Oldest banded iron formations found. Significant because iron rust requires oxygen.
Greenland apatite shows evidence of 12C enrichment, characteristic of the presence of photosynthetic life.
This eon began with the planet beginning to look as it does today, with continents of solid land and oceans of liquid water.
The Eoarchean Era is the earliest time following the solidification of Earth's crust.
Late heavy bombardment of the Moon (and probably of the Earth as well) by bolides and asteroids.
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