Difference between revisions of "Geological Time"

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(Created page with "If the world were an woman … we could call her Gaia … aged 44 frameless|center Let's set a scale of 2 million years = 1 Gaia week, so 104 million yea...")
 
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If the world were an woman  … we could call her Gaia … aged 44
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If the world were an woman  … we could call her Gaia … aged 43
  
 
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== Gaia tells the story of her life ==
 
== Gaia tells the story of her life ==
  
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‘First simple cells appeared at age 9 but I had not acquired my green colouration until I was 15 and learned how to photosynthesize. It took another 9 years though, for me to get an oxygen atmosphere and by the time I was 25 more complex cells started to appear. Not till I was 35 did these begin to group together to first form multi-cell life forms. My late 30’s saw the first insects, fish and land plants and my early 40’s saw amphibians and reptiles. At age 42 came the first dinosaurs – and the first mammals. Birds followed and then flowers the year after. The dinosaurs died out around the time I turned 44, finally giving a chance for the mammals to flourish.
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{| class="wikitable"
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|-
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! Event !! Gaia's Age !! How long ago<br>'Gaia time'
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|-
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| About 3.5 - 3.8 billion years of simple cells (prokaryotes). || 8 years 7 months || 35 years 1 month
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|-
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| 3 billion years of photosynthesis. || 14 years 10 months || 28 years 10 months
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|-
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| Great Oxidation Event || 23 years 8 months || 20 years
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|-
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| 2 billion years of complex cells (eukaryotes). || 24 years 5 months || 19 years 2 months
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|-
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| 1 billion years of multicellular life. || 34 years || 9 years 7 months
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|-
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| 600 million years of simple animals. || 37 years 10 months || 5 years 9 months
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|-
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| 570 million years of arthropods (ancestors of insects, arachnids and crustaceans). || 38 years 2 months || 5 years 5 months
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|-
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| 550 million years of complex animals. || 38 years 4 months || 5 years 3 months
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|-
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| 500 million years of fish and proto-amphibians. || 38 years 10 months || 4 years 9 months
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|-
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| 475 million years of land plants. || 39 years 1 month || 4 years 6 months
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|-
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| 400 million years of insects and seeds. || 39 years 10 months || 3 years 10 months
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|-
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| 360 million years of amphibians. || 40 years 2 months || 3 years 5 months
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|-
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| 300 million years of reptiles. || 40 years 9 months || 2 years 10 months
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|-
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| First dinosaurs || 41 years 5 months || 2 years 2 months
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|-
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| 200 million years of mammals. || 41 years 9 months || 1 years 11 months
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|-
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| 150 million years of birds. || 42 years 2 months || 1 years 5 months
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|-
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| 130 million years of flowers. || 42 years 5 months || 1 years 3 months
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|-
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| 65 million years since the non-avian dinosaurs died out. || 43 years || 7 months
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|-
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| 2.5 million years since the appearance of Homo. || 43 years 7 months || 8 days
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|-
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| 200,000 years since the appearance of modern humans. || 43 years 8 months || 16 hours
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|-
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| 25,000 years since Neanderthals died out. || 43 years 8 months || 2 hours
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|-
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|}
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<!-- ‘First simple cells appeared at age 9 but I had not acquired my green colouration until I was 15 and learned how to photosynthesize. It took another 9 years though, for me to get an oxygen atmosphere and by the time I was 25 more complex cells started to appear. Not till I was 35 did these begin to group together to first form multi-cell life forms. My late 30’s saw the first insects, fish and land plants and my early 40’s saw amphibians and reptiles. At age 42 came the first dinosaurs – and the first mammals. Birds followed and then flowers the year after. The dinosaurs died out around the time I turned 44, finally giving a chance for the mammals to flourish.
  
 
Things have got interesting in the last ten days; a few brainy biped types have learnt to make fire and stone tools and yesterday started forming more complex societies, art, music. The more northern, thicker browed type died out two hours ago and the survivors, the ones that emerged from the large southern tropical continent have named, for themselves, this last half-hour “all of recorded history” ‘
 
Things have got interesting in the last ten days; a few brainy biped types have learnt to make fire and stone tools and yesterday started forming more complex societies, art, music. The more northern, thicker browed type died out two hours ago and the survivors, the ones that emerged from the large southern tropical continent have named, for themselves, this last half-hour “all of recorded history” ‘
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-->

Revision as of 12:01, 4 November 2021

If the world were an woman … we could call her Gaia … aged 43

Gaia.gif

Let's set a scale of 2 million years = 1 Gaia week, so 104 million years = 1 year. And sure enough, in round numbers, 44 Gaia years = 4.6 billion years which is our current scientific understanding of the age of the Earth. At the other end of the scale, 6,000 years which encompasses all of written human history = ½ a Gaia hour

Gaia tells the story of her life

Event Gaia's Age How long ago
'Gaia time'
About 3.5 - 3.8 billion years of simple cells (prokaryotes). 8 years 7 months 35 years 1 month
3 billion years of photosynthesis. 14 years 10 months 28 years 10 months
Great Oxidation Event 23 years 8 months 20 years
2 billion years of complex cells (eukaryotes). 24 years 5 months 19 years 2 months
1 billion years of multicellular life. 34 years 9 years 7 months
600 million years of simple animals. 37 years 10 months 5 years 9 months
570 million years of arthropods (ancestors of insects, arachnids and crustaceans). 38 years 2 months 5 years 5 months
550 million years of complex animals. 38 years 4 months 5 years 3 months
500 million years of fish and proto-amphibians. 38 years 10 months 4 years 9 months
475 million years of land plants. 39 years 1 month 4 years 6 months
400 million years of insects and seeds. 39 years 10 months 3 years 10 months
360 million years of amphibians. 40 years 2 months 3 years 5 months
300 million years of reptiles. 40 years 9 months 2 years 10 months
First dinosaurs 41 years 5 months 2 years 2 months
200 million years of mammals. 41 years 9 months 1 years 11 months
150 million years of birds. 42 years 2 months 1 years 5 months
130 million years of flowers. 42 years 5 months 1 years 3 months
65 million years since the non-avian dinosaurs died out. 43 years 7 months
2.5 million years since the appearance of Homo. 43 years 7 months 8 days
200,000 years since the appearance of modern humans. 43 years 8 months 16 hours
25,000 years since Neanderthals died out. 43 years 8 months 2 hours


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