timescales
Periods of measurement
Timescales are the spans of time over which processes unfold or plans are measured.
Different phenomena operate on different timescales: geological change on millions of years, human lifespans on decades, bacterial reproduction on hours.
The word often appears when comparing durations: Climate models work on longer timescales than weather forecasts.
Also spelled as two words.
Spans of time
- erasNamed spans of history
- epochsDistinct historical stretches
- agesExtended time spans
- calendarDate-tracking system
dates · sequencing · chronological · succession · intervals · durations · spans · synchrony
Hundred-year periods
- millenniaThousand-year periods
- decadesTen-year periods
- perpetuityInfinite continuation of time
- longevityDuration of existence
permanence · continuity · persistence · endurance · fleeting · momentary · instantaneous · prolonged
Immense spans of time
- epochsDistinct historical stretches
- strataParallel geological layers
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
- fossilsPreserved ancient organism traces
Jurassic · Cretaceous · Precambrian · Cambrian · Pleistocene · Holocene · geochronology · radiometric
Formation of distinct species
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- natural selectionDifferential reproductive success
- diversificationExpanding into varied areas
- phylogenyEvolutionary relationships among organisms
extinction · generations · mutation rates · divergence · radiation · lineages · descent · transitional
Great age, ancient era
- civilizationsComplex organized human societies
- dynastiesSuccessive rulers from one family
- empiresExtensive ruled territories
- chroniclesSequential historical accounts
ancestry · genealogy · prehistory · archives · ancient · medieval · modern era · recorded history
periods
Spans of time
calendar · dates · sequencing · chronological · succession · intervals · durations · spans · synchrony · phases
centuries
Hundred-year periods
- millenniaThousand-year periods
- decadesTen-year periods
- perpetuityInfinite continuation of time
longevity · permanence · continuity · persistence · endurance · fleeting · momentary · instantaneous · prolonged · brief
eons
Immense spans of time
- epochsDistinct historical stretches
- strataParallel geological layers
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
fossils · Jurassic · Cretaceous · Precambrian · Cambrian · Pleistocene · Holocene · geochronology · radiometric · stratigraphy
speciation
Formation of distinct species
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- natural selectionDifferential reproductive success
- diversificationExpanding into varied areas
phylogeny · extinction · generations · mutation rates · divergence · radiation · lineages · descent · transitional · gradual change
antiquity
Great age, ancient era
- civilizationsComplex organized human societies
- dynastiesSuccessive rulers from one family
- empiresExtensive ruled territories
chronicles · ancestry · genealogy · prehistory · archives · ancient · medieval · modern era · recorded history · oral tradition
timescalesmoments
Short spans of time
instants · split seconds · points in time · snapshots · momentariness