GEOLOGIC
TIME SCALE
1. explain how relative and absolute
dating were used to determine the
subdivisions of geologic time.
S11/12ES-Ie-27
2. describe how the Earth’s history can
be interpreted from the geologic time
scale. S11/12ES-Ie-29
GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE
The geologic time scale is the “calendar” for
events in Earth history.
It subdivides all time into named units of
abstract time called—in descending order of
duration—eons, eras, periods, epochs, and
ages.
Geologic time is often discussed in two forms:
absolute time and the relative time.
ABSOLUTE TIME VS. RELATIVE TIME
It refers to the numerical It is a subdivision of the
ages in millions of years Earth’s geology in a
or some other specific order based upon
measurement. the relative age
These are obtained by relationships (commonly,
radioactive dating vertical or stratigraphic
methods performed on position).
appropriate rocks. It can be established
The measurements usually on the basis of
taken upon those to fossils.
determine the actual The physical aspects found
time it expired. in rocks
DATING TECHNIQUES
are used by scientist in the field of geology to
determine the age of rocks. The geologist
establishes the age of rocks in two ways:
relative and absolute dating.
RELATIVE DATING
It is used to arrange geological events and the rocks
they leave behind in a sequence.
It is based on the Principle of Superposition which
the scientist evaluates the of rocks in order of
geological events.
Relative age cannot specify the actual age, whether
the rock is younger or older than another. The relative
age is determined by its position within the strata.
Relative dating requires an extensive knowledge of
stratigraphic succession
ABSOLUTE DATING
A method of measuring the absolute age of an event
or object.
Scientist analyzes isotopes of radioactive elements.
Isotopes are atom of a same element which have the
similar number of protons but they have different
numbers of neutrons.
Some isotopes are unstable, they need to break down
into stable isotopes or other elements, this process is
called Radioactive.
ABSOLUTE DATING
Radioactive decay – it is occurring on a steady
state, we can use the relative amounts of unstable
and stable isotopes present to determine the age of
an object. It breaks down unstable radioactive
isotopes into stable isotopes.
RADIOACTIVE DECAY
Parent isotope – it is the unstable radioactive
isotopes
Daughter isotopes – it is the stable isotope
produced by the radioactive decay of the parent
isotope
RADIOACTIVE DECAY
Half-life - Half-life is the time needed for half of a
sample of a radioactive element to undergo
radioactive decay and form daughter isotopes. After
one half-life has passed, one-half of the parent
isotope has changed into daughter isotopes.
The rate of radioactive decay is constant, that is why
comparing the amount of parent material with the
amount of the daughter material is important in
dating rocks. In other words, the more daughter
material there is, the older the rock.
RADIOACTIVE DATING/
RADIOMETRIC DATING
Scientists study the amounts of parent and daughter
isotopes to date samples. They find the absolute age
of a sample by determining the relative percentages
of a radioactive parent isotope and a stable daughter
isotope is called radiometric dating.
What is the Best Rock for Radiometric
Dating?
1. Igneous rocks are the best types of rock
samples to use for radiometric dating.
2. When igneous rocks form, minerals in
them often contain only apparent isotope
and none of the daughter isotope.
3. This makes the isotope percentages
easier to interpret and helps dating to be
more accurate.
What are Some Radiometric Dating
Methods?
1. Potassium-Argon Dating - used to
date igneous volcanic rocks that are
100,000 years to billions of years old
2. Uranium-Lead Dating - based on
measuring the amount of the lead-206
daughter isotope in a sample. Uranium-
lead dating can be used to determine
the age of igneous rocks that are
between 100 million years and a few
billion years old.
What are Some Radiometric Dating
Methods?
3. Rubidium-Strontium dating - a
radiometric dating technique use by
scientist to determine the age of rocks and
minerals from the age of rocks and
minerals from the quantities they contain
of specific isotopes of rubidium (87Rb) and
strontium (87Sr ,86Sr). in this method it
used rocks which older than 10 million
years.
What are Some Radiometric Dating
Methods?
4. Radiocarbon Dating - a method used
for dating wood, bones, shells, and other
organic remains.
Radiocarbon dating can be used to date
organic matter only. This method is used to
date things that lived in the last 45,000
years.
DEFINITION OF
TERMS
GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE
(GTS)
- chronologic schema
relating to the stratigraphy
of time which is used by
geologist, paleontologist
and other scientist to
describe the timing and
relationship between
events that occurred during
the long history of the
Earth.
FOSSIL
- preserved remains or traces
of plants, animals, and other
organisms from the past.
FOSSIL RECORD
- are the history of life as
documented by all fossils
which preserved in
sedimentary rock strata
INDEX FOSSIL
- serves as a guide or
indicator of certain
geologic periods.
- used to correlate the
age of the rock
strata.
- If two different rocks
in different areas on
the earth contain the
same index fossils,
then probably the
strata have the same
GEOLOGIC TIME
- general reference to long
time span that predates
human records.
• They have divided the 4.6
billion years of Earth’s rich
history into different time
spans to conveniently indicate
the four major events
geologically or
paleontologically.
This time spans includes:
➢ Age (millions of years)
➢ Epoch (tens of millions of
years)
➢ Period (tens of millions of
years)
➢ Era (several hundred million
years)
➢ Eon (half a billion years or
more)
➢ EON - largest division of
geologic time scale with three
major eons, the Archean,
Proterozoic, and Phanerozoic
eons.
➢ ERA - hundreds of millions
of years with three major eras,
Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and
Cenozoic eras
➢ PERIOD is tens of millions of
years long, the tertiary period
is the beginning of the age of
mammals while quaternary
periods is considered the age
of humans.
➢ EPOCH - several million
years long and the division of
the most recent periods.
I. PRECAMBRIAN ERA
- covers almost 90% or
roughly 4.1 billion year of
the entire history of the
Earth.
- Broken into 3 parts namely:
- Hadean
- Archean
- Proterozoic
PRECAMBRIAN ERA:
HADEAN
• Considered as a chaotic eon mainly due to the
meteorites that constantly hit Earth, causing most
severe volcanic activities.
• The atmosphere and
ocean were formed and
the core, the crust was
also stabilized.
• Hadean comes the word
hades, which means
“hell”.
PRECAMBRIAN ERA: ARCHEAN
• Characterized by the period of Earth became warm,
but the atmosphere contains only methane and only
few to no oxygen.
• The formation of the
continents begin in this eon.
• It lasted for 1.3 Ga (Giga
annum).
• It is characterized by having
an orange atmosphere
mainly due to the
PRECAMBRIAN ERA:
PROTEZOROIC
• Characterizes when the atmosphere began to have
oxygen, eukaryotes spreads, multicellular animals
appear, and the continents drift the away
• Only lasted for 1.9 Ga
(Giga annum), lasting for
a half of the age of the
Earth.
II. PALEOZOIC ERA
(Early Life)
- This marks the
formation of the
formation of
supercontinent,
Pangaea.
- This marks the
formation of the
formation of
II. PALEOZOIC ERA
(Early Life)
- In the late Paleozoic era
reptiles started to
appear. They are
seemed looked much
their amphibian
ancestors but they were
different in terms that
they were able to lay
III. MESOZOIC ERA (Middle
Life)
- Marked by the breakup of the
major landmasses. North
America began to part from
Europe and South America, and
Africa
began to separate from
Australia, New Zealand, and
India.
III. MESOZOIC ERA (Middle
Life)
Dinosaurs - The largest
creatures that existed during
this era
which is descendants of the
primitive reptiles that survived
throughout the Paleozoic era.
IV. CENOZOIC ERA (Late Life)
- humans begin to left their marks on the land, as
scientist observed in the stone tools that were used.
- Volcanic activities
became widespread,
forming immeasurable
flows of lava and basalt.
- Warm blooded animals,
such as marsupials, and
primitive mammals
journeyed the land.
IV. CENOZOIC ERA (Late Life)
- humans begin to left their marks on the land, as
scientist observed in the stone tools that were used.
Divisions of Cenozoic
Era:
a. Quaternary Period
b. Neogene Period
c. Paleogene Period
IV. CENOZOIC ERA (Late Life)- Quaternary
• It is the most recent period
• It is also termed as Anthropogene
• It is divided into two epochs:
Pleistocene and Holocene
• Holocene was when human
civilization arose
IV. CENOZOIC ERA (Late Life)- Neogene
• It gives rise to early primates
• It consists of Miocene and Pliocene Epochs
IV. CENOZOIC ERA (Late Life)- Paleogene
• Most Earth’s climate was tropical
• Continents drifted apart creating vast stretches of
oceans
• It consists the Paleocene,
Eocene, and Oligocene
Epoch
IV. CENOZOIC ERA (Late Life)- Paleogene
• Most Earth’s climate was tropical
• Continents drifted apart creating vast stretches of
oceans
• It consists the Paleocene,
Eocene, and Oligocene
Epoch
V. CENOZOIC ERA (Late Life)- Paleogene
• Most Earth’s climate was tropical
• Continents drifted apart creating vast stretches of
oceans
• It consists the Paleocene,
Eocene, and Oligocene
Epoch
