Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica
SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE TO PREMIUM
  • Home
  • Biographies
  • Animals & Nature
  • History & Society
  • Science & Tech
  • Geography & Travel
  • Arts & Culture
  • ProCon
  • Money
  • Games & Quizzes
  • Videos
  • Today in History
  • Dictionary
  • New Articles
Biographies
  • Browse Biographies
Animals & Nature
  • Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates
  • Environment
  • Fossils & Geologic Time
  • Insects & Other Invertebrates
  • Mammals
  • Plants
History & Society
  • History
  • Philosophy & Religion
  • Politics, Law & Government
  • Society & Social Issues
Science & Tech
  • Health & Medicine
  • Science
  • Technology
Geography & Travel
  • Geography & Travel
Arts & Culture
  • Entertainment & Pop Culture
  • Literature
  • Sports & Recreation
  • Visual Arts
  • Image Galleries
  • Podcasts
  • Summaries
  • Top Questions
  • Lists and Stories
  • Britannica Kids
Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
A Journey Through Time Since the Precambrian
  • Introduction
  • Cambrian Period: 541 million to 485.4 million years ago
  • Ordovician Period: 485.4 million to 443.4 million years ago
  • Silurian Period: 443.4 million to 419.2 million years ago
  • Devonian Period: 419.2 million to about 359 million years ago
  • Carboniferous Period: 358.9 million to about 298.9 million years ago
  • Permian Period: 298.9 million to 252.2 million years ago
  • Triassic Period: 252.2 million to 201.3 million years ago
  • Jurassic Period: 201.3 million to 145 million years ago
  • Cretaceous Period: 145 million to 66 million years ago
  • Paleogene Period: 66 million to 23 million years ago, and Neogene Period: 23 million to 2.6 million years ago
  • Quaternary Period: 2.6 million years ago to the present
References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Dinosaur phylogeny, or family tree with individual dinosaurs visible. Cambrian paleogeography A chart showing the Ordovician period within the Paleozoic era on the geologic time scale, listing its division into Lower, Middle, and Upper epochs, with corresponding stage names and their ages in millions of years ago. Illustration of an early Silurian coral-stromatoporoid community showing various labeled marine organisms, including corals, bryozoans, brachiopods, crinoids, trilobites, and a nautiloid, arranged on and around a block of seafloor substrate with a scale bar indicating centimeters. Early Devonian map A chart detailing the Carboniferous period within the Paleozoic era, showing its division into Mississippian and Pennsylvanian subperiods, with corresponding epochs, ages, and their ranges in millions of years ago. Early Permian Epoch Line graph showing the number of marine animal families from the Precambrian era to the present, with illustrations of key groups such as trilobites, ammonoids, marine reptiles, and diatoms. The graph highlights major extinction events and a rise to 1,900 living families today. Pangea: Late Jurassic Period dinosaur phylogeny

A Journey Through Time Since the Precambrian: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • John P. Rafferty
    John P. Rafferty writes about Earth processes and the environment. He serves currently as the editor of Earth and life sciences, covering climatology, geology, zoology, and other topics that relate to the natural world.
Stay Connected
Facebook X YouTube Instagram

  • About Us & Legal Info
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Equal Opportunity
  • Do Not Sell My Info
©2026 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.