Proterozoic Era - Geological Timeline

#3

Proterozoic Eon

~2.5 Billion to ~541 Million Years ago, 3 main Eras

Eon Desc. & Events

Neoproterozoic Era ~1 billion to 541 million years ago

#1

+third era fact

Paleoproterozoic Era~2.5 to 1.6 billion years ago

#2

Mesoproterozoic Era ~1.6 to 1 billion years ago

+First Era Fact

+Second Era Fact

References

Era Fact!

During this era, there was a series of ice ages that transformed the surface of our planet. Constant "Icehouse" effects would bring about ice ages that would last millions of years. Only when we would begin to thaw out would simple life begin to emerge, soft-bodied and "alien-like" with no bones nor shells.

Era Fact!

During this era, it is believed that this is when the first major landmass rose up, barren of all life and vegetation, called Rodinia. This is also when the first signs of multicellular life would be seen within the shale samples collected around the globe.

Era Fact!

One neat thing that is believed to have happened during this era betweeen the Siderian and Rhyacian periods, was something called the Great Oxygenation Event (OGE) or the Oxygen Catastrophe. Caused by photosynthesizing bacteria, such as cyanobacteria, starting to produce large concentrations of free oxygen into the atmosphere, which over time, would stabalize and form the ozone layer around the planet.

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What was the planet like?

This period of time was truly wild! Everything was evolving in some form from the atmosphere, early land masses, and even microscopic forms of life. As far as events go, the beginning of this timeframe started with our atmosphere consisting mostly of methane and carbon dioxide, oceans were filled with single celled organisms, and continents were beginning to form albeit barren of vegetation or animals.

References

one image pulled from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proterozoic geologic timeframe image from https://www.geosociety.org/GSA/gsa/timescale/home.aspx Bindeman, I.N, A Bekker, and D.O Zakharov. “Oxygen Isotope Perspective on Crustal Evolution on Early Earth: A Record of Precambrian Shales with Emphasis on Paleoproterozoic Glaciations and Great Oxygenation Event.” Earth and planetary science letters 437 (2016): 101–113. Web. Bryant, Bruce et al. Geology, Geochronology, Geochemistry, and Pb-Isotopic Compositions of Proterozoic Rocks, Poachie Region, West-Central Arizona : A Study of the East Boundary of the Proterozoic Mojave Crustal Province. Version 1.0. Reston, Virginia: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 2001. Print.