Earth History and Fossils

Earth's History Lecture

Join quickly!

​Your Bellringer/DO NOW will be next.

Multiple Choice

How long ago did dinosaurs live on Earth?

• 75 to 2 million years ago

• 50 to billion years ago

• 245 to 66 million years ago

Multiple Choice

Look at the picture. Which of those fossils are older?

• A

• B

• They're both fake.

​Earth's history is long and complex.

​We start 4.5 billions years ago all the way to today.

​We study different things like stone layers, fossils, chemicals, etc.

​Are you ready to start this amazing journey?

This is how Earth has changed over time.

​QUESTION:

​How is it possible for the planet to change so much over time? What forces are at work here?

Multiple Select

Select ALL the forces that cause change on planet Earth:

• Tectonic plates

• Weathering and erosion

• Evolution

• Asteroid and comet impacts

• Human activity

​Visualizing Earth Changes

​The main idea is a timeline like historians use for human history, but it's so long that we need to figure out creative ways to show it all in one image. Like this! >>>

Multiple Choice

According to the video, at what precise time did humans evolve on Earth?

• About 6:30

• Before 8:11

• After 11:59

​In the beginning...

​Early planet Earth wasn't a "hospitable for life" as we know it.

• ​The atmosphere was toxic, solar radiation burned the surface.

​

​Slowly, very slowly, the planet started to support life, mainly in the oceans!

• ​Early living things like bacteria, worms, and jellyfish developed

​Then, everything changed!

​Eons, Eras, Periods, and Epochs... Oh My!

​Time to talk about how scientists divide these huge timespans!

​

• ​An Eon is the largest, includes:

  • ​Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic, and Phanerozoic

• ​An Era is next, includes:

  • ​Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic (ours!)

​Eons, Eras, Periods, and Epochs... Oh My!

​Time to talk about how scientists divide these huge timespans!

​

• ​A Period is smaller, includes:

  • ​Way too many to list!

  • ​Humans live in the Quaternary Period

• ​An Epoch is the shortest, incls:

  • ​Humans evolved during the Pleistocene and Holocene

​Dinosaurs and Mammals... Humans Way Last

​We (humans) are closer to dinosaurs than the beginnings of life!

Draw

Match them up!

Multiple Choice

In which of the following PERIODS did dinosaurs live?

• Devonian

• Triassic

• Cambrian

Multiple Choice

In which of these TWO EONS did life begin to evolve on Earth?

• Archean

• Hadean

​Pretty impressive, huh?

But how do we know ALL this? Stay tuned to find out next week!​