Appalachian Geology

A Table Rock Geology PrimerOutward Bound Staff Training

Michael Follo

Foliation resulting from directed stress

Major Events in the History of Earth and Life

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Age of the Earth 4600

Oldest known Rocks 4000

Oldest known Fossils (single-celled algae, bacteria) 3500

Oxygen-rich atmosphere 2500

First multi-cellular organisms (metazoans) 600

Cambrian Explosion 540

First land plants/animals 400

Appalachians Form (Table Rock!) 300

Earliest Dinosaurs 275

Permo-Triassic Extinction 248

First Mammals 200

Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction (Dinos, etc.) 65

Rockies Form 50

Earliest hominids 4

Earliest Homo sapiens 0.25

Last Ice Age 0.01

“Geologic Year”

1 calendar year (365 days) = 4.6 billion years

1 “day” = 12.6 million years

January 1 Origin of the Earth

February 14 Oldest known rocks

April 1 Oldest known fossils

October 31 Cambrian Explosion

November 25 First land plants/animals

December 1 Appalachians form

December 7 First Dinosaurs

December 25 Dinosaurs extinct!

December 26 Rockies form

December 31

5:00 pm First Hominids

11:30 pm First Homo sapiens

11:58 pm Last ice age

11:59::57 Voyage of Columbus