Tour of geologic time scale

Tour of geologic time

Here you can journey through the history of the Earth, with stops at particular points in time to examine the fossil record and stratigraphy. You might wish to start in the Cenozoic Era (65 million years ago to the present) and work back through time, or start with Hadean time (4.5 to 3.8 billion years ago) and journey forward to the present day. No matter "when" you start, you will be able to learn about the stratigraphy, ancient life, fossil localities, and tectonics of the various time periods. Ways to begin your exploration: Click on any division of the time scale to the left. Explore a specific period of time that interests you. Learn about the history of the geologic time scale. Visit our exhibit on plate tectonics, an important geological concept in any time period!