Page 61 - Petrophysics
P. 61

TABLE 2.1
                              SUBDIVISIONS OF THE THREE GEOLOGIC ERAS AND THE ESTIMATED TIMES
                                                 OF MAJOR EVENTS [SI
                       Subdivisions Based on Stratamime  I  Radiometric

                               Systems1                      Dates (millions     In Physical
                                Periods         Epochs        of years ago)        Histow

                            Quaternary      Recent or               0          Several glacial
                                              Holocene                          ages
                                            Pleistocene             2
                                            Pliocene                6          Colorado River
                                                                                begins
                                            Miocene                 22         Mountains and
                            Tertiary                                            basins in Nevada
                                            Oligocene               36        Yellowstone Park
                                                                                volcanism
                                            Eocene                  58
                                            Paleocene              63         Rocky
                                                                                Mountains begin
                                                                              Lower Mississippi
                                                                                River begins

                            Cretaceous                             145        Atlantic Ocean
                                                                                begins
                            Jurassic                               210        Appalachian
                                                           I                    Mountains

                                                                                climax
                            Triassic                               255
                            Permian                n               280
                            Pennsylvanian          h               320
                              (upper
                              Carboniferous)
                            Mississippian                          360
                              (Lower
                              Carboniferous)
                            Devonian                               415        Appalachian
                            Silurian                               465          Mountains
                            Ordovician                             520          begin
                            Cambrian                               580
                        Precambrian (Mainly igneous and            1000
                         metamorphic rocks, no worldwide
                         subdivisions)
                                                                   2000
                                                                   3000        Oldest dated
                                                                                rocks
                      .................................................
                                Birth of Planet Earth              4650
   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66