Senior High School

NOT

Earth Science
Quarter 2 - Module 13
Geologic History of the Earth

Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

Earth Science- Grade 12
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 2 - Module 13: Geologic History of the Earth
First Edition, 2020

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Author: Sola Violetta L. Mendoza
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 Senior
Senior High
High School
School

Earth and Life

Science
Quarter 2 - Module 13
Geologic History of the Earth

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This page is intentionally blank
 Table of Contents

What This Module is About ................................................................................................................... i

What I Need to Know .............................................................................................................................. ii
How to Learn from this Module ............................................................................................................ii
Icons of this Module ................................................................................................................................iii

What I Know ........................................................................................................................................... ..iii

Lesson 1:
Index Fossils ................................................................................................................................
What I Need to Know..................................................................................................1

What I know .................................................................................................................2

What Is It ........................................................................................................................3

What’s New: …. ...........................................................................................................5

What’s In: …. ................................................................................................................6

What’s More ..................................................................................................................7

What I Have Learned: ...............................................................................................8

Lesson 2:
History of the Earth Through Geological Time .......................................
What I need to know ...................................................................................................10

What I know .................................................................................................................10

What is it ..................................................................................................................... ..13

What’s New ................................................................................................................ ..16

What is it ...................................................................................................................... ..17

What’s More ............................................................................................................... ..18

What is it ...................................................................................................................... ..19

What’s New ................................................................................................................ ..21

What’s I can Do......................................................................................................... ..22

What I have learned .................................................................................................. ..23

Summary ...............................................................................................................................................
Assessment: (Post-Test) .................................................................................................................. 23
Key to Answers .................................................................................................................................... 26
References ............................................................................................................................................ 29
This page is intentionally blank
Module 13

What This Module is About

The Earth is so vast and contains so many mysteries. This is the reason why
scientists for centuries are still exploring the planet and try to unlock the mystery
behind its wonders.
In the previous module, you have learned about the different methods of
determining the age of rocks and how relative and absolute dating were used to
determine the subdivisions of geologic time. Now, let us dig deeper and learn concepts
about index fossils and understand the history of the earth through geologic time…
This module consists of activities that will help develop your critical thinking
skills to have a better and deeper understanding of the planet where you live in.

The following are the lessons contained in this module:

• Index Fossils
• History of the Earth through geologic time

What I Need to Know

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. Describe how index fossils are used to define and identify subdivisions of geologic
time scale.
2. Describe the history of the Earth through geologic time.
How to Learn from this Module
To achieve the objectives cited above, you are to do the following:
• Take your time reading the lessons carefully.
• Follow the directions and/or instructions in the activities and exercises diligently.
• Answer all the given tests and exercises.

Icons of this Module

What I Need to This part contains learning objectives that

Know are set for you to learn as you go along the
module.

What I know This is an assessment as to your level of

knowledge to the subject matter at hand,
meant specifically to gauge prior related
knowledge
What’s In This part connects previous lesson with that
of the current one.

What’s New An introduction of the new lesson through

various activities, before it will be presented
to you

What is It These are discussions of the activities as a

way to deepen your discovery and under-
standing of the concept.

What’s More These are follow-up activities that are in-

tended for you to practice further in order to
master the competencies.

What I Have Activities designed to process what you

Learned have learned from the lesson

What I can do These are tasks that are designed to show-

case your skills and knowledge gained, and
applied into real-life concerns and situations.

II
 What I Know

Pretest: MULTIPLE CHOICE:

Directions: Read and understand each item and choose the letter of the correct
answer. Use separate answer sheet of paper.

1. Which of the following refers to the remnants, impressions or traces of plants and
animals preserved in strata of the earth that give evidences of their presence in the
geological past?
a. Fossils c. Coprolites
b. Sedimentary rock d. Strata

2. The branch of the science that deals with the study of fossils is known as
a. Geology c. Paleontology
b. Zoology d. Botany

3. Which of the following refers to the process by which organic material becomes
fossil and is turned into a stony substance?
a. Aging c. Superposition
b. Petrification d. Impressions

4. The principle of superposition states that the oldest layer of rock is located at the/a
a. top c. middle
b. bottom d. random location

5. Preserved wastes products and worm burrows are examples of

a. Trace fossils c. Strata
b. Index fossils d. molds

6. To be considered as an index fossil, a fossil must be rare.

a. false c. true
b. both a and c d. none of the above

7. The principle used to determine whether one sedimentary rock is older than another
is known as
a. Law of Gravity c. Law of Use and Disuse
b. Law of Superposition d. Law of Acceleration

8. Which of the following is not included in the group?

a. Eras c. Periods
b. Epochs d. Kingdom

9. A table showing the sequence of geological periods in the history of earth is called
a. Geological Time Scale c. Periodic Table
b. Geological Period d. Timetable
10. Which of the following has the largest intervals of geologic time?
a. Period c. Eon
b. Era d. Epoch

11. Which of the following is considered as the “calendar” for events in Earth
history?
a. Geologic Time Scale
b. Geologic Timetable
c. Geometric Time Scale
d. Geologic Time Calendar

12. Which is the correct order of geologic time?

e. Era > Eon > Period > Epoch

f. Epoch > Period > Era > Eon
g. Eon > Era > Period > Epoch
h. Era > Eon > Epoch > Period

13. Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic are all?

i. Epochs
j. Eras
k. Periods
l. Eons

14. Geologic Time Scale is a record of what?

m. Old geologists
n. The known history of rocks and fossils
o. Sweet geologic music
p. A list of every living thing ever
15. When scientists use logic to determine the age of one fossil compared to
another, what type of dating is being used?
a. Relative

b. Absolute

c. Carbon

d. None of the above

16. How old do Paleontologists believe the Earth is?

a. 2020 years old

b. 4.6 million years old

c. 3.6 billion years old

d. 4.6 billion years old

17. What was probably the first organism on Earth?

a. Plants

b. Bacteria

c. Alligators

d. Fish

18. Which of the following era covers almost 90% of the Earth’s history?

a. Paleozoic

b. Cenozoic

c. Mesozoic

d. Precambrian
19. Which of the following is the most recent era of time - the one that we are
currently in?
a. Mesozoic
b. Cenozoic
c. Precambrian
d. Paleozoic
20. What are the most important and the largest intervals of geological
time and are many millions of years in duration?
a. Eras

b. Eons

c. Periods

d. Epochs
This page is intentionally blank
 Lesson
Index Fossils
1
What I Need to Know

The word ‘fossil’ means anything dug out of the earth. Fossils are actually
remnants, impressions or traces of plants and animals preserved in strata of the earth
that give evidences of their presence in the geological past. Only a small percentage
of ancient living remnants is preserved as fossils, and usually only those that have a
solid and rigid skeleton were preserved.

Photo Credits: https://www.thoughtco.com

Lesson objectives

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

1. explain index fossils;
2. name the characteristics of index fossils; and
3. describe how index fossils are used to define and identify subdivisions of
geological time scale.

1
 What I know
Pretest: MULTIPLE CHOICE:
Directions: Read and understand each item and choose the letter of the correct
answer. Use separate answer sheet of paper.

1. Which of the following refers to the remnants, impressions or traces of plants and
animals preserved in strata of the earth that give evidences of their presence in the
geological past?
c. Fossils c. Coprolites
d. Sedimentary rock d. Strata

2. The branch of the science that deals with the study of fossils is known as
a. Geology c. Paleontology
b. Zoology d. Botany

3. Which of the following refers to the process by which organic material becomes
fossil and is turned into a stony substance?
c. Aging c. Superposition
d. Petrification d. Impressions

4. The principle of superposition states that the oldest layer of rock is located at the/a
a. top c. middle
b. bottom d. random location

5. Preserved wastes products and worm burrows are examples of

a. Trace fossils c. Strata
b. Index fossils d. molds

6. To be considered as an index fossil, a fossil must be rare.

a. false c. true
b. both a and c d. none of the above

7. The principle used to determine whether one sedimentary rock is older than another
is known as
c. Law of Gravity c. Law of Use and Disuse
d. Law of Superposition d. Law of Acceleration

8. Which of the following is not included in the group?

a. Eras c. Periods
b. Epochs d. Kingdom

9. A table showing the sequence of geological periods in the history of earth is called
a. Geological Time Scale c. Periodic Table
b. Geological Period d. Timetable

2
10. Which of the following has the largest intervals of geologic time?
a. Period c. Eon
b. Era d. Epoch

What Is It

A cluster of fossil ammonites, an extinct cephalopod.

Photo Credit:shutterstock.com

Fossil provides the record about the age of the rock. Index fossils are the ones
that tell us the most about it. Index fossils commonly known as guide fossils are those
that are used to define periods of geologic time. These fossils are commonly found
and are widely distributed. Fossils are used for the determination of the age of organic
rocks and other fossil assemblages and also help to establish relationships between
rock units.

Index fossils are used by geologists and paleontologists as significant aids to

determine the correlation and age of rock sequences. They are used as indices to
define and identify geologic periods. A good index fossil provides simple ways to
calculate the relative age of rock beds as well as helps in dating other fossils found in
the other sedimentary layer.

Since most fossil-bearing rocks are formed within the ocean, the marine
organisms are considered then as the major index fossils.

3
To be an index fosil –
1. An organism must have lived only during a short part of the Earth’s history;
2. Many fossils of the organisms must be found in rock layers;
3. The fossil must be found over a wide area of the Earth;
4. The organism must be unique.

Any type of organism can be distinctive, but not so many are widespread. A
number of important index fossils are from organisms that start life as floating eggs
and infant stages, allowing them to populate the world using ocean currents. The most
successful of these became abundant, yet at the same time, they became the most
vulnerable to environmental change and extinction. Thus, their time on Earth may have
been confined to a short period of time, and this characteristic is what makes the best
index fossils.

Let’s try to consider trilobites. It is a very good index fossil for Paleozoic rocks
that lived in all parts of the ocean. Trilobites belongs to a class of animal and just like
mammals or reptiles, the individual species within the class had noticeable differences.
Trilobites evolved continually throughout their existence and that evolution lasted 270
million years from Middle Cambrian Period to the end of the Permian time, or almost
the entire length of the Paleozoic. Since trilobites were mobile animals, they tended to
inhabit large, even global areas. They were also hard-shelled invertebrates, so they
fossilized easily. These fossils are large enough to review without a microscope.

Other index fossils of this sort include ammonites, crinoids, rugose corals,
brachiopods, bryozoans, and mollusks.

Petrification, is a process by which organic material becomes fossil and is

turned into a stony substance through the replacement of the original pore spaces with
minerals. Some fossils are completely barren of plant and animal parts but still show
evidence of an organism’s activities. Such traces of organisms, which are
appropriately known as trace fossils, include tracks or trails, footprints, feeding
traces, worm burrows, borings, and preserved waste products or coprolites (fossilized
feces).

All types of fossilized remains are abundant in sedimentary rock. Sedimentary

rock occurs in the form of layers or beds. Individual beds differ considerably from each
other by their structure, texture, color etc. Under normal conditions, sedimentary rocks
are laid down one over the other in ascending order; thus superpositions of rocks
are maintained. The oldest sedimentary rock lies at the bottom and the youngest lies
at the top. The Law of Superposition states that the oldest rock layer is located at the
bottom.

The oldest fossils in the fossil record date from 3.5 billion years ago, however
it wasn't until around 600 million years ago that complex, multi-cellular life began was
first preserved in the fossil record.

4
 Photo Credit:slideplayer.co

What’s New

Activity 1: Arrange the jumbled letters to form the correct word.

1. SISFOLS __ __ S __ __ __ __

2. SATART __ __ __ __ T __

3. DEXIN SOSLIFS __ __ __ E __ __ __ __ __ __ __ S

4. ACERT LOSFISS T __ __ __ __ __ O __ __ __ __ __

5. GANISMOR __ O __ __ __ __ __ __

6. PECARIFITTION P __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

7. FOLISSIZED __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ D

8. PROLICOTES C __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

9. SUPERSITIPOON __ __ __ __ __ P __ __ __ __ __ __ __

10. SERREPPED __ R __ __ __ __ __ __ __

5
What’s In

6
 Geological Time Scale is a table showing the sequence of geological periods
within the history of earth. Its subdivisions include: Eons, Eras, Periods and Epochs.

The largest intervals of geologic time are Eon which covers a period of several
hundred million years. Eons has been divided into 3: Archaean, Proterozoic, and
Phanerozoic. The Phanerozoic eon has therefore been divided into three eras – the
Paleozoic (early life), Mesozoic (middle life) and Cainozoic (recent life).

All the eras named in the table are divided into periods, which are generally
named after the places in Europe where the rocks of that period were first studied. For
example, rocks of the Jurassic age were first studied in the Jura Mountain, in
Switzerland and Southern Germany, and the Cambrian is named after the Cambrian
Mountains in Wales. The periods of the Caenozoic era are further subdivided into
epochs.

Index fossils are utilized in the formal architecture of geologic time for outlining
the ages, epochs, periods, and eras of the geologic time scale. Some of the
boundaries of those subdivisions are defined by mass extinction events, just like
the Permian-Triassic extinction. The evidence for these events is found within the
fossil record wherever there’s a disappearance of major groups of species within a
geologically short amount of time.

What’s More

Activity 2 : Matching Type

Match column A with column B.

A B
_____ 1. Fossil a. preserved to become fossil
_____ 2. Index Fossils b. sequence of geological periods
_____ 3. Paleontology c. placement of one thing on top of another
_____ 4. Petrification d. study of fossils
_____ 5. Fossilized e. guide fossils
_____ 6. Trace Fossils f. layer
_____ 7. Geologic Time Scale g. fossilized faeces
_____ 8. Strata h. track or trails
_____ 9. Superpositions i. hardened
_____ 10. Coprolites j. remnants of preserved plants and animals

7
Activity 3: Let’s Dig Deeper!

Direction: Let’s gain more knowledge. In the table below, write the names of the
eras of Earth history, the meanings of those names and describe the events that mark
the divisions between the eras. You may do some research on the web to complete
the table.

Name of era Transition events Ma

65

250

540

What I Have Learned

To process what you have learned from the lesson, answer the post
test of this lesson.

Post- Test:
I. MULTIPLE CHOICE:
Directions: Read and understand each item and choose the letter of the correct
Answer. Use a separate answer sheet of paper.

1. Which of the following are used by geologists and paleontologists as significant aids
to determine the correlation and age of rock sequences.
a. Strata c. Coprolites
e. Sedimentary rock d. Index Fossils

2. Paleontology is a branch of the science that deals with the study of

a. Fossils c. Ocean
b. Rocks d. Animals

8
3. Which of the following refers to the process by which organic material becomes
fossil and is turned into a stony substance?
e. Aging c. Petrification
f. Superposition d. Impressions

4. Where does the oldest layer of a rock is located according to the Principle of
Superposition?
a. top c. middle
b. bottom d. random location

5. Preserved wastes products and worm burrows are examples of

a. Trace fossils c. Strata
b. Index fossils d. molds

6. To be considered as an index fossil, a fossil must be rare.

a. false c. true
b. both a and c d. none of the above

7. The principle used to determine whether one sedimentary rock is older than another
is known as
e. Law of Gravity c. Law of Use and Disuse
f. Law of Superposition d. Law of Acceleration

8. Which of the following is not included in the group?

a. Kingdom c. Periods
b. Epochs d. Eras

9. A table showing the sequence of geological periods in the history of earth is called
a. Geological Time Scale c. Periodic Table
b. Geological Period d. Timetable

10. Which of the following has the largest intervals of geologic time?
a. Period c. Era
b. Eon d. Epoch

9
 History of the Earth
Lesson Through Geologic Time
2
What I Need to Know

Sometimes geologists want to understand about an event or occasion that

occurred before humans were around to record it. They have evidence of when the
event occurred by observing at rocks, which contain fossils and other information. To
keep all of the events so as, geologists have created the geological time scale. The
geologic time scale is split and is divided into 3 eons, and every eon is subdivided into
eras. Eras are subdivided into periods, and are further separated into epochs. This
may sound confusing, but watching at a true geologic time scale and completing this
activity will help.
Thus, at the end of this lesson you are expected to describe the history of the
Earth through geologic time. However, before we delve deeper, answer first the pretest
to check your readiness about the lessons in this module.

What I Know

Multiple Choice. Select the letter of your choice from the given options for each
item. Write all your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

2. Which of the following is considered as the “calendar” for events in

Earth history?
a. Geologic Time Scale
b. Geologic Timetable
c. Geometric Time Scale
d. Geologic Time Calendar

3. Which of the following is the correct order of geologic time?

a. Era > Eon > Period > Epoch
b. Epoch > Period > Era > Eon
c. Eon > Era > Period > Epoch
d. Era > Eon > Epoch > Period

10
4. Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic are all?
a. Epochs
b. Eras
c. Periods
d. Eons
5. Geologic Time Scale is a record of what?
a. Old geologists
b. The known history of rocks and fossils
c. Sweet geologic music
d. A list of every living thing ever
6. When scientists use logic to determine the age of one fossil compared
to another, what type of dating is being used?

a. Relative

b. Absolute

c. Carbon

d. None of the above

6. How old do Paleontologists believe the Earth is?

a. 2020 years old

b. 4.6 million years old

c. 3.6 billion years old

d. 4.6 billion years old

7. What was probably the first organism on Earth?

a. Plants

b. Bacteria

c. Alligators

d. Fish

8. Which of the following era covers almost 90% of the Earth’s history?

a. Paleozoic

b. Cenozoic

c. Mesozoic

d. Precambrian

11
 9. Which of the following is the most recent era of time - the one that we are
currently in?
a. Mesozoic
b. Cenozoic
c. Precambrian
d. Paleozoic

10. What are the most important and the largest intervals of geological
time and are many millions of years in duration?
a. Eras

b. Eons

c. Periods

d. Epochs

11. Which era is also known as the era of the dinosaurs?

a. Precambrian

b. Mesozoic

c. Paleozoic

d. Cenozoic

12. Which of the following is not included in the group?

a. Kingdom

b. Eras

c. Periods

d. Epochs
13. Which of the following refers to scientist who studies prehistoric life forms
using fossils?

a. geologist
b. paleontologist
c. botanist
d. zoologist

12
14. Which of the following refers to periods when many species suddenly
become extinct?
a. Mass extinction
b. Stratigraphy
c. Paleontology
d. Mass Killing

15. Which of the following refers to the correlation and classification of rock
strata?
a. fossilization
b. stratigraphy
c. paleontology
d. geology

What’s In

Do you know that the layers of rock at Earth’s surface contain evidence of the
evolutionary processes ? By studying this rock record from the very beginning, it‘s thus
possible to trace their development and therefore the resultant changes through time.

The history of Earth was recorded to be more than 4.5 billion years. Various
types of phenomena and events in widely separated parts of the planet are correlated
using an internationally acceptable, standardized time scale.

The study of fossils (paleontology), together with other geological and biological
evidence, provides information on the history of Earth and the evolution of life. Fossils
provide and supply evidence about the relative ages of rock strata, paleo-
environments and evolution of life. The fossil record has been used to improve the
worldwide geological time-scale.

The ideas of superposition and evolution provide the basis of the geological
time-scale, and was developed during a random fashion (mostly in Europe) during the
19th century. It is a worldwide scale developed by correlation of fossils from all over
the world.

There are, in fact, two geologic time scales. One is relative,

or chronostratigraphic, and the other one is absolute, or chronometric. Relative age
refers to the age of a rock layer (or the fossils it contains) compared to other layers
while absolute age is the numeric age of a layer of rocks or fossils. Absolute age is
often determined by using radiometric dating.

13
 The chronostratigraphic time scale has evolved since the mid-1800s and
concerns the relative order of the strata. Vital and important events in its development
were the realizations and assumptions by English engineer and geologist William
Smith. Scottish geologist James Hutton discovered that an unconformity
(discontinuity) indicates a significant gap in time.

Moreover, the presence of fossils throughout Phanerozoic sediments has

enabled paleontologists to construct a relative order of strata. As was explained
earlier, at specific stratigraphic boundaries certain sorts of fossils either appear or
disappear or both in some cases. Those biostratigraphic boundaries separate larger
or smaller units of time that are defined as eons, eras, periods, and epochs.

The enumeration of these geologic time units is predicated on stratigraphy,

which refers to the correlation and classification of rock strata. The fossil forms that
occur within the rocks, however, provide the chief means of establishing and building
a geologic time scale, with the timing of the emergence and disappearance of
widespread species from the fossil record getting used to delineate the beginnings
and endings of ages, epochs, periods, and other intervals. One of the widely used
standard charts showing the relationships between the numerous intervals of geologic
time is that the so called International Chronostratigraphic Chart, which is maintained
by the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS).

14
 Timeline of Earth's History
Significant moments in Earth's history.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Christine McCabe
Grand Canyon rock layeringThe steep walls of the Grand Canyon contain a variety of layers of rock laid down
over many years. The lower formations belong to the first Precambrian age, while the upper layers are of the
Paleozoic age. The line between the 2 sets of formations is called the Great Unconformity.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

15
 What’s New

Activity 1: Word Search

Find and circle all the 16 words that are hidden in the grid. The words
may be hidden in any direction.

16
What Is It

17
 Geologic Time Scale (GTC), a system of chronological dating that
relates geological strata (stratigraphy) to time and is employed and used
by paleontologists, geologists, and other Earth scientists to elucidate the timing and
relationships of events that have occurred during Earth's history. It is considered as
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, and
epochs.

Eons are considered to have the longest intervals of geologic time in history.
An Eon covers a period of several hundred million years. The Earth’s history has been
divided into three eons: Archaean, Proterozoic and Phanerozoic. Life on Earth starts
to evolve during the Archaean (at least by 3700 Ma), but multicellular organisms didn’t
appear until about 580 Ma (in the middle of the Ediacaran period). Nearly all the
evolution of the life has occurred during the Phanerozoic.

The Phanerozoic Eon has therefore been divided into three eras – the
Paleozoic (early life), Mesozoic (middle life), and Cenozoic (recent life). A significant
change within the dominant life forms marks the transition from one era to subsequent
one. The changes that mark the transitions between eras are summarized in the table
below.

What’s More
Activity 2: Matching Type
Match column A with column B.

A B

_____1. Geologic Time Scale a. earliest part of earth’s history

_____2. Eon b. scientists who study fossils

_____3. Paleozoic c. appearance of first dinosaur

_____4. Cenozoic d. early life

_____5. Precambrian e. largest interval of geologic time

_____6. Mesozoic f. the rise of first placental mammals

_____7. Paleontologists g. one of the three divisions of eon

_____8. Paleocene h. middle life

_____9. Phanerozoic i. recent life

_____10. Triassic j. calendar of events in earth’s history

18
 What Is It

The Cambrian Explosion and Fossil Records (541 – 245 million years
ago)

The Cambrian explosion was the most important and the largest
diversification of life in Earth’s history. Everything before this era was 32recambrian.
We couldn’t identify life because we didn’t have fossilized shells or animals. This is
when hard-shelled invertebrates originated in the oceans. The Cambrian explosion
started with the Age of Invertebrates. And life got more diverse from there.

The Age of Fish came where thousands of fish species arose. Then, the
primary vertebrate land animal made its leap ashore. Amphibians took a breath of
fresh air and colonized the empty continent of Gondwana. This was the start of the
Age of Amphibians. We share similar characteristics as our vertebrate ancestors. For
example, humans have spines, jaws and mouths originating from fish.

In the Paleozoic Era, lush rainforests flourished on land. But due to an abrupt
shift in global warming, a major marine and terrestrial extinction event began. This
event was the Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse. Plants and swamps were buried,
compacted and cooked into underground coal deposits. It left behind vast deserts for
reptiles to eventually dominate the continental interior.

The Paleozoic Era ended with the most important extinction in Earth’s history.
The Permian-Triassic Extinction vanquished 96% of all marine species. About 70% of
terrestrial vertebrate species were wiped out. Opinions vary about the Permian-
Triassic Extinction cause. But the consensus is that it was from a major asteroid
impact event.

The Age of Dinosaurs and Reptiles (245 – 66 million years ago)

When Earth’s climate became hotter and drier, rainforests collapsed

triggering the Age of Reptiles. Reptiles are different from amphibians because they lay
their hard-shelled eggs on land. They essentially adapted to the land by cutting all ties
with the ocean. Because reptiles evolved to dryland conditions, they gained a unique
ecological advantage.

As conditions changed, dinosaurs (also referred to as terrible lizards) began

to evolve. These reptile-like mammals had scaly skin and hatched eggs like reptiles.
Some dinosaurs adapted as herbivores and some as carnivores. For subsequent 160
million years, dinosaurs were the dominant land vertebrates on Earth.

19
 The Age of Conifers in the Mesozoic Era provided the spread of seeded
plants. Conifers store vast amounts of carbon. As a result, oxygen content within the
atmosphere jumped to 35% compared to 21% today. In addition, they provided habitat,
shelter and a source of food for specific animal species to survive.

Also notable is that Pangea existed as one supercontinent in this era.

Dinosaurs lived on one supercontinent. Plate tectonics were the mechanism that
eventually tore continents apart. Don’t forget that dinosaurs existed for 160 million
years. So continental drift gradually rifted dinosaurs apart. We know this because we
can find the same fossils on separate continents.

The Age of Mammals and Homo Sapiens (66 million years ago – now)

Ultimately, the start of the Cenozoic Era was the demise of dinosaurs. After
a 6-mile wide asteroid hit Earth, a dust cloud blocked the sun. This caused
temperatures to plummet which was the heart of the damage from the Cretaceous–
Paleogene extinction event. Because of the worldwide climate disruption, it had been
liable for the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Mammals existed long before the Cenozoic Era, but are kept in low numbers
because dinosaurs dominated the land. After the extinction of the dinosaurs, this
marked the Age of Mammals. When dinosaurs roamed the Earth, mammals remained
small and furry. And because dinosaurs went extinct, mammals dominated and soon
emerged as the largest land animals at this point.

Apes remained in trees for it is where they get their primary food source.
Eventually, grass began to spread in places just like the African Savannah and there
have been fewer trees. This forced apes to steer down to new food sources. With their
heads above the grass to ascertain predators, apes evolved by walking on two legs.
It also helped to have their hands available when they were traveling.

As the timeline to modern human evolution begins, hominids were the early
proto-humans. They were known for sharpening objects with silicon rocks. They began
to master the use of their hands and fingers. In the stone age, early humans had fire
under control. This enabled them to cook their food giving them more calories. Modern
humans learned to make more complex sounds and share information in groups.
So humans have only existed for about 0.004% of the age of the Earth.

20
 What’s New
Activity 3: Fill in the blanks with the correct word/s found inside the box.

1. During the __________ era, abundant rainforests thrived on land.

2. The __________ explosion was the largest diversification of life in Earth’s history.

3. _________ were the early proto-humans, known for sharpening objects with rocks.

4. In the _______________, early humans had fire under control, enabling them to

cook their food.

10. ___________ are different from amphibians because they lay their hard-shelled

eggs on land.

6. Dinosaurs lived on one supercontinent known as __________.

7. The extinction of dinosaurs marked the age of ___________.

8. __________ are trees that bears cones that provide habitat, shelter and a source

of food for specific animal species to survive.

9. _________ humans learned to make more complex sounds and share information

in groups.

10. The age of conifers happens during the ___________ era.

PALEOZOIC HOMINIDS CAMBRIAN

STONE AGE MODERN PANGEA MESOZOIC

REPTILES MAMMALS CONIFERS

21
 What I Can Do

Activity 4:
Direction: Make a timeline of the Earth’s Geological Time Scale in a long bond
paper. You may refer to the sample photo below.

22
 What I Have Learned
To process what you have learned from the lesson, answer the post test of this lesson.

Post- Test:
I. MULTIPLE CHOICE:
Directions: Read and understand each item and choose the letter of the correct
Answer. Use a separate answer sheet of paper.
1. Which of the following is considered as the “calendar” for events in Earth
history?
a. Geologic Time Calendar
b. Geologic Timetable
c. Geometric Time Scale
d. Geologic Time Scale
2. Geologic Time Scale is a record of
a. The known history of rocks and fossils
b. List of geologists
c. A list of every living thing ever
d. Sweet geologic music

3. Which of the following follows the correct order of geologic time history?
a. Era > Eon > Period > Epoch
b. Epoch > Period > Era > Eon
c. Eon > Era > Period > Epoch
d. Era > Eon > Epoch > Period
4. Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic are all?
a. Periods
b. Epochs
c. Eras
d. Eons
5. When scientists use logic to determine the age of one fossil compared to
another, what type of dating is being used?

a. Carbon

b. Absolute

c. Relative

d. None of the above

23
 6. The first Tyrannosaurus Rex was seen 68.5 million years ago (mya) .
What type of time is this?
a. Relative Time

b. Absolute Time

c. Historical Time

d. Exact Time
7. Dinosaurs live during the Jurassic Era before mammals. What type of
time is this?
a. Absolute Time

b. Historical Time

c. Exact Time

d. Relative Time Fish

8. Which of the following era covers almost 90% of the Earth’s history?
a. Paleozoic
b. Cenozoic

c. Mesozoic

d. Precambrian
9. Which of the following is the most recent era of time - the one that we are
currently in?
a. Mesozoic
b. Cenozoic
c. Precambrian
d. Paleozoic
10. What are the most important and the largest intervals of geological
time and are many millions of years in duration?
a. Eras

b. Eons

c. Periods

d. Epochs
11. Which era is also known as the era of the dinosaurs?
a. Precambrian
b. Mesozoic

c. Paleozoic

d. Cenozoic

24
12. Which of the following is not included in the group?

a. Eras

b. Kingdom

c. Periods

d. Epochs
13. Which of the following refers to scientist who studies prehistoric life forms
using fossils?

a. geologist
b. zoologist
c. botanist
d. paleontologist
14. Which of the following refers to periods when many species suddenly
become extinct?
a. Paleontology
b. Stratigraphy
c. Mass extinction
d. Mass Killing
15. Which of the following refers to the correlation and classification of rock
strata?
a. fossilization
b. paleontology
c. geology
d. stratigraphy

25
ANSWER KEYS
PRETEST : ACTIVITY 1 :
1. A 1. FOSSILS
2. C 2. STRATA
3. B 3. INDEX FOSSILS
4. B 4. TRACE FOSSILS
5. A 5. ORGANISM
6. C 6. PETRIFICATION
7. B 7. FOSSILIZED
8. D 8. COPROLITES
9. A 9. SUPERPOSITION
10. C 10. PRESERVED
ACTIVITY 2 :
1. CENOZOIC - RECENT LIFE
2. MESOZOIC - MIDDLE LIFE
3. PALEOZOIC - EARLY LIFE
ACTIVITY 3 : POST-TEST
1. J 1. D
2. E 2. A
3. D 3. C
4. I 4. B
5. A 5. A
6. H 6. C
7. B 7. D
8. F 8. A
9. C 9. A
10. G 10. B

26
ANSWER KEYS
PRETEST : ACTIVITY 2 :
11. A 11. J
12. C 12. E
13. B 13. D
14. B 14. I
15. A 15. A
16. D 16. H
17. B 17. B
18. A 18. F
19. B 19. G
20. B 20. C
21. B
22. A
23. B
24. A
25. B
ACTIVITY 3 : POST-TEST
11. PALEOZOIC 11. C
12. CAMBRIAN 12. A
13. HOMINIDS 13. C
14. STONE AGE 14. C
15. REPTILES 15. C
16. PANGEA 16. B
17. MAMMALS 17. D
18. CONIFERS 18. A
19. MODERN 19. B
20. MESOZOIC 20. B
21. B
22. B
23. D
24. C
25. D

27
28
 References

Ghosh, D. “ Index Fossils :Evidence from Plant Sources ” Online Article.

Accessed October, 2006. https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/reso/011/10/0069-0077

King, H. “ Geological Time Scale : A Time Line for Geological Science ”

https://geology.com/time.htm

Windley, BF. “ Gelogical History of Earth ” https://www.britannica.com/science/geologic-

history-of-Earth

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Geologic Time ”. Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: June 2, 2020. https:www.britannica.com/science/geologic-time

“ A Brief History of Geological Time ” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWp5ZpJAIAE

“ Earth Timeline : A Guide to Earth’s Geological History and Events ( Infographics ) ”.

Updated May 17, 2020 . earthhow.com/earth-timeline-geological-history-events/

29
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