Paleozoic
Trilobites flourished then
The Paleozoic is a geological era spanning roughly 540 to 250 million years ago, between the Precambrian and Mesozoic eras.
It saw the emergence of complex life forms, from the first fish and land plants to early reptiles.
The name means "ancient life." Trilobites flourished during the Paleozoic.
Earliest Paleozoic period
- OrdovicianPaleozoic geological period
- SilurianPaleozoic period, mid-range
- DevonianGeologic period, 419-359 million years ago
- CarboniferousCoal-depositing geological period
Permian · Mississippian · Pennsylvanian · epoch · subdivision · stage
Earliest geological eon
- ProterozoicEon before complex life
- ArcheanEarliest geological eon
- eraDistinct historical period
- periodPunctuation ending sentences
Extinct segmented marine arthropod
- brachiopodHinged-shell marine invertebrate
- ammoniteExtinct spiral-shelled cephalopod
- nautiloidChambered cephalopod subclass
- coralMarine skeletal formation
Prehistoric unified landmass
- GondwanaAncient southern supercontinent
- continental driftGradual landmass repositioning
- orogenyGeological mountain formation
- AppalachianEastern U.S. mountain region
Caledonian · supercontinent · plate tectonics · paleogeography
Era of massive glaciation
- glaciationIce sheet spreading process
- greenhouseClimate-controlled plant enclosure
- hothouseHeated growing enclosure
- sea levelElevation reference point
Cambrian
Earliest Paleozoic period
- OrdovicianPaleozoic geological period
- SilurianPaleozoic period, mid-range
- DevonianGeologic period, 419-359 million years ago
Carboniferous · Permian · Mississippian · Pennsylvanian · epoch · subdivision · stage
Precambrian
Earliest geological eon
- ProterozoicEon before complex life
- ArcheanEarliest geological eon
- eraDistinct historical period
period · geologic time · stratigraphy · geochronology · deep time
trilobite
Extinct segmented marine arthropod
- brachiopodHinged-shell marine invertebrate
- ammoniteExtinct spiral-shelled cephalopod
- nautiloidChambered cephalopod subclass
coral · bryozoan · Burgess Shale · fossilization · petrification
Pangaea
Prehistoric unified landmass
- GondwanaAncient southern supercontinent
- continental driftGradual landmass repositioning
- orogenyGeological mountain formation
Appalachian · Caledonian · supercontinent · plate tectonics · paleogeography
Cambrian explosion
Sudden appearance of complex life
- mass extinctionLarge-scale species elimination
ice age
Era of massive glaciation
- glaciationIce sheet spreading process
- greenhouseClimate-controlled plant enclosure
- hothouseHeated growing enclosure
- time periodsday, year, month, week, hour
- Earth historyice age, geological time, extinction, eons, fossil
- geologic historyCambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous
- geologic timeeons, eon, epochs, era, epoch
- paleontologydinosaurs, fossil, fossil record, dinosaur bones, dinosaur fossils
- Geochronologygeologic time, geologic time scale, time scale, timescale, deep time
PaleozoicCenozoic
Present geological era
modern era · Quaternary · Holocene · Anthropocene · Tertiary
- Paleozoic eraFirst complex life period
paleontology, paleontologist, paleolithic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic, Paleolithic, paleoanthropology, paleontological, paleoclimatology