Paleozoic Era
The era ended with the Permian mass extinction
What is the Paleozoic era?
The supercontinent began breaking apart during the Mesoznoic, changing climate and ocean currents
What is Pangaea?
The Cenozoic is often referred to as “Age of” this group of animals
What are mammals?
The first life forms on Earth were single-celled organisms
What is bacteria?
This was the largest mass extinction event in Earth’s history
What is the Permian-Triassic Extinction?
The main cause of the mass extinction at the end of the Mesozonic
What is the impact of an asteroid?
During the Cenozoic, the Earth’s climate cooled, leading to the formation of ice sheets in this region
What is Antarctica?
These layered rock formations, created by ancient microbes, provide some of the oldest evidence of life
What are stromatolites
The Paleozoic period saw the first appearance of insects and early land plants
What is the Silurian Period?
This Mesozoic era came first, beginning after the mass extinction in Earth’s history
What is the Triassic period?
This groups of mammals became dominant terrestrial species, evolving into a wide range of forms
What are placental mammals?
This ancient precambrian supercontinent existed before Pangaea and formed around 1.1 billion years ago
What is Rodinia?
The formation of these mountains at the end of the Paleozoic Era is a result of tectonic plates collision during the Carboniferous period?
What are the Appalachian Mountains?
This major shift in climate characterized by high temperatures and CO₂ levels, contributed to the growth of forests and a thriving diversity of life
What is the greenhouse climate effect?
Cooling during the Cenozoic Era led to the development of this type of climate, which resulted in the widespread formation of glaciers
What is the icehouse climate?
The buildup of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere, caused by photosynthetic bacteria, is called this event
What is the Great Oxidation Event? (or Great Oxygenation Event)
The formation of coal swamps and early reptiles occurred during this period
What is the carboniferous period?
This massive volcanic eruption in what is now India, may have contributed to the end-Mesozoic extinction
What are the Deccan Traps?
The Ice Age climate during this epoch contributed to the formation of glaciers covering most of the northern hemisphere
What is the Pleistocene Epoch?
These early forms of life dominated oceans during the Archean Eon and contributed to the formation of the first atmospheric oxygen
What are cyanobacteria?