Palaeozoic

Palaeozoic Era 541 - 252.2 million years ago

Key events in the Palaeozoic view • discuss •  -560 — – -540 — – -520 — – -500 — – -480 — – -460 — – -440 — – -420 — – -400 — – -380 — – -360 — – -340 — – -320 — – -300 — – -280 — – -260 — – -240 — – Neoproterozoic Mesozoic Cambrian Ordovician Silurian Devonian Carboniferous Permian           P a l a e o z o i c  Phanerozoic  Proterozoic An approximate timescale of key Palaeozoic events. Axis scale: millions of years ago.

The world during the start of the Palaeozoic

The world at the end of the Palaeozoic

The Palaeozoic (or Paleozoic) era is the earliest of the three eras of the Phanerozoic. Its name means early life. It lasted from about 541 to 252.2 million years ago, and ended with the greatest extinction event, the Permian–Triassic extinction event.

The Palaeozoic began with an explosion of life forms. The Cambrian explosion marks the era with thousands of new life forms in the ancient seas. It lasted from about 541 million years ago to about 251.1 million of years ago, and is divided into six periods. The era saw many important events, including the development of most invertebrate groups, life's conquest of land, the evolution of fish, reptiles, insects, and vascular plants, the formation of the supercontinent of Pangea, and no less than two distinct ice ages. The earth rotated faster than it does today so days were shorter, and the nearer moon meant stronger tides.

• Permian
• Carboniferous
  • Pennsylvanian
  • Mississippian
• Devonian
• Silurian
• Ordovician
• Cambrian

Geologic History

Source

International Chronostratigraphic Chart 2013. International Commission on Stratigraphy, retrieved 8 April 2013. Divisions of geologic time – major chronostratigraphic and geochronologic units USGS, retrieved 8 April 2013.