Planetary Geological Timescales

 

 

MERCURY (No Geochronologic data; absolute ages unknown)

 

KUIPERIAN PERIOD

=============================================================== ~1.0 Ga

Young rayed craters such as Kuiper form

 

MANSUARIAN PERIOD

=========================================================== ~3.0 – 3.5 Ga

Period of diminished cratering

 

CALORIAN PERIOD

=============================================================   ~3.85 Ga

Smooth lowland plains volcanic units (Suisei, Odin, Tir Planitias) flow onto surface

Caloris Basin impact and lineated terrain

Planetary shrinkage event results in lobate scarps (syn- to post-Caloris age)

 

TOLSTOJIAN PERIOD

=========================================================== ~3.9 – 4.0 Ga

Tolstoj Basin impact and large highland craters form

 

PRE–TOLSTOJIAN PERIOD

=========================================================== ~4.0 – 4.2 Ga

Intercrater highland plains unit and obliteration of oldest craters

Extensive global volcanism and resurfacing during cratering

Major differentiation yields core and planetary expansion

Accretion

============================== Mercury Forms ====================== 4.6 Ga

 

 

VENUS (No Formal Systems Named)

 

============================================================== ~0.75 Ga

Isolated volcanic constructs erupt through plains units forming coronae in equatorial regions

Planetary resurfacing with global lava floods in flat lowland plains and tesserae

Isolated surface deformation producing locally fractured crust (Tesserae)

 

============================== Venus Forms ======================= 4.6 Ga

 

 

EARTH

 

CENOZOIC ERA

================================================================   0 Ma

Pleistocene glaciation

Mammals dominate

Alpine orogenesis

 

MESOZOIC ERA

===============================================================  66 Ma

Age of the reptiles including the dinosaurs

Nevadan orogeny affects western Cordillera

Rifting and opening of modern Atlantic Ocean

 

PALEOZOIC ERA

==============================================================  245 Ma

Age of early life - marine invertebrates thrive in vast epeiric oceans

Antler and Sonoman orogenies affect west coast of North America

Taconic, Acadian, and terminal phase Appalachian orogenies affect east coast of North America which results in creation of Pangea

 

PROTEROZOIC EON

==============================================================  570 Ma

Modern-type sediments and sedimentary rocks flourish

Banded-iron formations

First glaciation on earth

 

ARCHEAN EON

===============================================================   2.5 Ga

Algoman Intrusive episode at 2.5 Ga - worldwide intrusion of granitoid magmas

Early continental nucleii form with rapid tectonics - formation of greenstone-gneiss terranes

Oldest life forms (procaryotes) found in old rocks

Oldest crustal rocks ~3.98 Ga preserved in Canadian shield

 

HADEAN EON

===============================================================   4.0 Ga

Earth largely molten and receiving beaucoup impacts

 

============================== Earth Forms =======================  4.6 Ga

 

 

 

EARTH'S MOON

 

COPERNICAN PERIOD

===============================================================    0 Ma

Formation of crater Tycho ~ 200 Ma

Formation of crater Copernicus ~ 800 Ma

 

ERATOSTHENIAN PERIOD

===============================================================   1.1 Ga

Limited basaltic volcanism (~2.1 Ga)

Decreased cratering (<late Imbrian rate)

Basaltic lavas flow into Oceanus Procellarum and Imbrium Basin (~3.2 Ga)

 

IMBRIAN PERIOD

===============================================================   3.2 Ga

Flooding of multi-ringed craters eventually covering 17% of lunar near side

Impact cratering decreases to 1.5% of Nectarian rates

===============================================================   3.8 Ga

Formation of Imbrian and Orientale Basins

 

NECTARIAN PERIOD

==============================================================  3.95 Ga

Formation of 10-12 huge multi-ringed basins

 

PRE-NECTARIAN PERIOD

==============================================================  4.05 Ga

Intense cratering with formation of ~30 multi-ringed basins including Procellarum and south polar Aitken basins

Anorthositic lunar crust forms during crystallization of magma ocean

Moon forms by Mars-sized impact with proto-Earth, hurling pre-lunar materials into near-Earth orbit

===============================================================  4.6 Ga

 

 

 

MARS

 

AMAZONIAN SYSTEM

===============================================================   5 Ma

Climatic oscillations result in water lakes, ice formation and ice rafts

Ice sheets form then melt away forming floods

Youngest Tharsis and Olympus lava flows

Youngest landslides in Valles Marineris

==============================================================  225 Ma

Volcanism in Tharsis and Olympus Mons regions

Lava flows in northern plains

Landslides in Valles Marineris

==============================================================  700 Ma

Waning of global tectonism and volcanism

Volcanism at Tharsis District, Alba Patera, Elysium region (~2 Ga)

Olympus Mons attains present size

Voluminous basaltic lavas in northern plains

==============================================================  3.55 Ga

 

HESPERIAN SYSTEM

==============================================================  3.55 Ga

Waning of tectonism, faulting, and rifting in and around Tharsis District

Major volcanism in Tharsis District and at Alba Patera, Tempe Terra, Syria Planum, Elysium Planum areas

Development of outflow channels during catastrophic water floods

===============================================================   3.7 Ga

Major rifting in Valles Marineris, Noctis Labyrinthis

Basaltic volcanism in northern plains continues

Central volcanic eruptions at Alba Patera and highlands paterae

Development of fretted channels

===============================================================  3.8 Ga

 

NOACHIAN SYSTEM

===============================================================  3.8 Ga

Meteorite flux decreases

Intense erosion and development of runoff channels

Basaltic volcanism in highlands and plains

Faulting in Tharsis region

==============================================================  3.95 Ga

Waning of meteoritic impacts

Faulting in southern Tharsis region

Formation of northern lowlands

Intense meteorite bombardment with large craters formed (Isidis, Hellas, Argyre, south polar multi-ringed basins)

Shutdown of Martian magnetic field

=========================Mars Forms=============================  4.0 Ga