Paleozoic

Also known as Palaeozoic, Palaeozoic Era, Paleozoic Era, Paleozoic Erathem

The Paleozoic ( , , ; or Palaeozoic) Era is the first of three geological eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. Beginning 538.8 million years ago (Ma), it succeeds the Neoproterozoic (the last era of the Proterozoic Eon) and ends 251.9 Ma at the start of the Mesozoic Era. The Paleozoic is subdivided into six geologic periods, (from oldest to youngest) Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian. Some geological timescales divide the Paleozoic informally into early and late sub-eras: the Early Paleozoic consisting of the Cambrian, Ordovician and Silurian; the Late Paleozoic consi

AI overview

The Paleozoic Era is the first major division of Earth's most recent 538 million years of history, spanning from about 539 to 252 million years ago and subdivided into six geological periods. It matters because it represents a foundational chapter in the history of complex life on Earth, bridging the time between the emergence of most animal groups and the rise of the age of dinosaurs.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Geologic timespan.name: Paleozoic
Geologic timespan.color: Paleozoic
Geologic timespan.top_bar: Phanerozoic
Geologic timespan.timeline: Paleozoic
Geologic timespan.name_formality: Formal
Geologic timespan.alternate_spellings: Palaeozoic
Geologic timespan.celestial_body: earth
Geologic timespan.usage: Global (ICS)
Geologic timespan.timescales_used: ICS Time Scale
Geologic timespan.chrono_unit: Era
Geologic timespan.strat_unit: Erathem
Geologic timespan.lower_boundary_def: Appearance of the Ichnofossil Treptichnus pedum
Geologic timespan.lower_gssp_location: Fortune Head section, Newfoundland, Canada
Geologic timespan.upper_boundary_def: First appearance of the Conodont Hindeodus parvus.
Geologic timespan.upper_gssp_location: Meishan, Zhejiang, China

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image: Trilobite Heinrich Harder.jpg

Show 4 more facts

Commons category: Paleozoic
start time: 538800000-
end time: 251902000-
sRGB color hex triplet: 99C08D

Sources (4)

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~17 min read

Article

17 sections

Contents

Boundaries
Geology
Cambrian Period
Ordovician Period
Silurian Period
Devonian Period
Carboniferous Period
Permian Period
Climate
Flora
Fauna
Microbiota
See also
Footnotes
References
Further reading
External links

The name Paleozoic was first used by Adam Sedgwick (1785–1873) in 1838 to describe the Cambrian and Ordovician periods. It was redefined by John Phillips (1800–1874) in 1840 to cover the Cambrian to Permian periods. It is derived from the Greek palaiós (παλαιός, "old") and zōḗ (ζωή, "life") meaning "ancient life".