Triassic 248 Million years ago

248 Million years ago

Dinosaurs appear
first mammals and crocodiles appear
modern corals and fish



jurassic 206 Million years ago

lots of different dinosaurs
ferns and cone bearing plants
mammals common but small
first birds and lizards
land mass,pangea breaks up into gondwanaland and laurasia
high carbon dioxide levels


Cretaceous 144 MYA
Lots of dinosaurs including tyrannosaurus
New types of insects
Fowering plants appear and become plentiful
Modern crocodiles and sharks
Early birds appear
Gondwanaland breaks up
Rocky mountains appear
Carbon dioxide similar to today

Paleogene
modern plants
lots of different mammals
dinosaurs extinct
primitive whales
first grasses
rapid changes in mammals
climate cools
ice age begins and ends during this period

neogene

modern climate
modern mammals and birds
horses evolve from dog like animal
lots of grasses
first apes
southern alps of NZ appear


Quaternary 1.8 MYA present

Anatomically modern humans
Human stone age culture
ice age comes and goes
sahara forms from grasslands
humans begin agriculture
stone age

Bronze age  3300BC  Iron age  1120BC

Industrial revolution leads in carbon dioxide levels