FACT
http:
//deeptime.info/
This website has an
‘infographic’
showing geological
time on a clock.
Each hour on the
clock corresponds
to a period of the
Earth’s history, and
shows the
characteristics of
each period and the
key events within
them.
Another visually powerful way of representing Earth’s history is via the use of the geological
‘clock’ (Figure 11.2). Human history occupies just 2 million of the 4500 million year long
history of the Earth. On this clock, human existence constitutes less than a minute of the
evolutionary history of life on Earth.Figure 11.2: ”Human history on earth is a mere second on the clock”. In this representation, the two
million years’ of human history constitute an effect too small to be visible on the timescale.Activity: Construct a timeline of the key events in the history of life on Earth (Essential
CAPS)Aim:Inthis exercise you will learn to combine all the information given on the history of life to
depict it on a simple geological timescale of your own.Materials:- Exercise book or cardboard
- Coloured pens and pencils
- Pictures and information from the Internet and books
Instructions:Draw a timescale that stretches from ‘0 years ago’ to 4,6 billion years ago.Depict the history of life on this timescale, from the earliest life forms to present day exis-
tence. On your timeline, show:316 11.2. Representations of life’s history