Phanerozoic.

Cenozoic.

Quaternary.

Holocene (Recent).

0.01

Agriculture.

Pleistocene.

1.64

Humans proliferate.

Tertiary 2 (Neogene).

Pliocene.

5.14

Miocene.

23.5

Tertiary 1 (Palaeogene).

Oligocene.

35.5

Eocene.

56.5

Palaeocene.

65

Mammals, teleosts, insects & angiosperms proliferate.

Mesozoic.

Cretaceous.

144

Impact/vulcanism kills dinosaurs and ammonites, etc.

Jurassic.

213

Dinosaurs dominate.

Triassic.

248

Dinosaurs proliferate.

Palaeozoic.

Permian.

286

Mammal-like reptile dominate. Huge extinction ends Permian.

Carboniferous.

Pennsylvanian.

318

Coal forests.

Mississippian.

360

Devonian.

408

Plants, amphibians & insects invade land.

Silurian.

438

Fish proliferate.

Ordovician.

505

Cambrian.

543

Skeletons and shells appear.

Proterozoic (Precambrian 3).

Neo-proterozoic.

1000

Meso-proterozoic.

1600

Palaeo-proterozoic.

2500

Earliest forms of life.

Archaean. (Precambrian 2).

4000

No apparent life.

Priscoan (Precambrian 1).

4500

Earth forms.

Hadean.

>4500

Solar system forms.