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Neoproterozoic Era
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Table 4: Geologic time scale. To see more information about a period, select one from the chart. A detailed geologic time scale chart displaying Earth's history from the Hadean Eon over 4.5 billion years ago to the present, organized by eons, eras, periods, epochs, and ages with color-coded columns and corresponding dates in millions of years. A chart showing the Proterozoic eon on the geologic time scale, divided into Paleoproterozoic, Mesoproterozoic, and Neoproterozoic eras with their respective periods and the millions of years ago each period began, ranging from 2,500 to about 539 million years ago.
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Neoproterozoic Era

geochronology
Also known as: Late Proterozoic Era
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Table 4: Geologic time scale. To see more information about a period, select one from the chart.
Table 4: Geologic time scale. To see more information about a period, select one from the chart.

The Neoproterozoic Era is the most recent of the three periods of the Proterozoic Eon, spanning from 1 billion to 541 million years ago. It followed the Mesoproterozoic Era and preceded the Cambrian Period. This era is characterized by significant geological and biological developments.1

Key Features of the Neoproterozoic Era:

  • Geological Activity: Earth's landmasses were consolidated into the supercontinent Rodinia at the beginning of the preceding era, but near the end of the Neoproterozoic, this supercontinent began to break apart.2
  • Atmospheric Changes: The atmosphere was largely devoid of oxygen during this time, though concentrations began to rise, increasing to about 1 percent of present-day levels between 900 million and 800 million years ago.2
  • Biological Evolution: The earliest ancestors of green algae and seaweed appeared as unicellular and primitive multicellular forms. These organisms survived glaciations and later diversified.2

The Neoproterozoic Era is subdivided into the Tonian, Cryogenian, and Ediacaran periods, with the Tonian being the earliest. Due to the scarcity of fossils, Precambrian time is primarily subdivided using isotopic age dating rather than fossil records.21

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
6 Britannica Sources
  1. Precambrian - Major subdivisions of the Precambrian System
  2. Tonian Period
  3. Precambrian - Archean crustal growth
  4. Precambrian - Proterozoic plate movements
  5. Precambrian - Correlation of Precambrian strata
  6. Proterozoic

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