first erathem and era of the Phanerozoic eonothem and eon

The Paleozoic (/ˌpæli.əˈzoʊ.ɪk, -i.oʊ-, ˌpeɪ-/ PAL-ee-ə-ZOH-ik, -⁠ee-oh-, PAY-; 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 … Wikipedia
Factsheet
Etymology
Name formality Formal
Alternate spelling(s) Palaeozoic
Factsheet
Etymology
Name formality Formal
Alternate spelling(s) Palaeozoic
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Paleozoic
Paleozoic - Wikipedia
October 21, 2025 - The Paleozoic (/ˌpæli.əˈzoʊ.ɪk, -i.oʊ-, ˌpeɪ-/ PAL-ee-ə-ZOH-ik, -⁠ee-oh-, PAY-; 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 ...
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USGS
usgs.gov › youth-and-education-in-science › paleozoic
Paleozoic | U.S. Geological Survey
Paleozoic (541-252 million years ago) means ‘ancient life.’ The oldest animals on Earth appeared just before the start of this era in the Ediacaran Period, but scientists had not yet discovered them when the geologic timescale was made.
Discussions

The ENTIRE Paleozoic era deserves more attention
The Ordovician is the most highly unappreciated period imo. When people focus on the Paleozoic, it's always either the Cambrian or the Permian More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Paleontology
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February 13, 2025
I honestly feel that the early Paleozoic is the one of the most underutilized parts of earth’s history In documentaries
It certainly is. Can you imagine if Walking with Monsters had a full budget and could have done a six episode series instead of rushing through each time period in 10 minutes? First episode in the Burgess Shale or Sirius Passet, showcasing the wonderful life emerging in the Cambrian Explosion. Second episode in the Soom Shale, focused on the Hirnantian Glaciation and Late Ordovician Mass Extinction. Third episode in the Silurian-aged Pozary Formation of Czechia, which preserves both terrestrial plants in the early stages of the Silurian-Devonian Terrestrial Revolution and a eurypterid-dominated coastal marine environment. Fourth episode in the Cleveland Shale, featuring wondrous placoderms, chondrichthyans, actinopterygians, and sarcopterygians, and the Hangenberg Event that wipes them out. Fifth episode in Montceau-Les-Mines, featuring giant insects and some early tetrapods of the Late Carboniferous. Final episode in the Salarevo, with magnificent gorgonopsians, therocephalians, dicynodonts, and parareptiles getting murdered by a mantle plume boring through fossil fuel-rich rocks. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Paleontology
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December 31, 2022
The Paleozoic Era is extremely underrated imo
🌐 r/PrehistoricLife
unpopular opinion: THE PALEOZOIC DOES NOT GET ENOUGH HYPE
I think that it is very valid and not unpopular opinion at all. As much as I love dinosaurs, I think there are some wonderful creatures before them that don’t get enough press. I love the walking with monster series that highlights a lot of unique species. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/PrehistoricLife
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June 27, 2023
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Encyclopedia Britannica
britannica.com › science › earth science, geologic time & fossils › fossils & geologic time
Paleozoic Era | Description, Climate, & Facts | Britannica
July 26, 1999 - Paleozoic Era, major interval of geologic time that began 538.8 million years ago with the Cambrian explosion, an extraordinary diversification of marine animals, and ended about 252 million years ago with the end-Permian extinction, the greatest ...
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U.S. National Park Service
nps.gov › articles › 000 › paleozoic-era.htm
Paleozoic Era (U.S. National Park Service)
During the Paleozoic Era (541 to 251.9 million years ago), fish diversified and marine organisms were very abundant. In North America, the Paleozoic is characterized by multiple advances and retreats of shallow seas and repeated continental ...
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University of California Museum of Paleontology
ucmp.berkeley.edu › paleozoic › paleozoic.php
The Paleozoic Era
The Paleozoic is divided into six periods: the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous (in the U.S., this is divided into the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian Periods), and Permian. Most of these names derive from locations where rocks of these ages were first studied.
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Biology LibreTexts
bio.libretexts.org › bookshelves › introductory and general biology › introductory biology (ck-12) › 5: evolution
5.9: Life During the Paleozoic - Biology LibreTexts
March 6, 2021 - The Paleozoic Era is literally the era of “old life.” It lasted from 544 to 245 million years ago and is divided into six periods. Major events in each period of the Paleozoic Era are described in Figure below.
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Live Science
livescience.com › planet earth › geology
Paleozoic Era: Facts & Information | Live Science
June 20, 2013 - The Paleozoic Era occurred from about 542 million years ago to 251 million years ago. It was a time of great change on Earth.
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GeoKansas
geokansas.ku.edu › paleozoic-era
Paleozoic Era | GeoKansas
During the Paleozoic Era, which lasted 289 million years, plants and reptiles began moving from the sea to the land. The era has been divided into six periods: Permian, Carboniferous, Devonian, Silurian, Ordovician, and Cambrian. Several times during this era, seas appeared and disappeared ...
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Museum of the Earth
museumoftheearth.org › early-paleozoic
The Early Paleozoic Era
The corals, brachiopods, and crinoids that dominate the rest of the Paleozoic had only a minor presence in Cambrian oceans, and little or no life was on land.
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Nokota Horse
ndstudies.gov › gr4 › geology-geography-and-climate › part-1-geology › section-3-paleozoic-era
Section 3: The Paleozoic Era | 4th Grade North Dakota Studies
The Paleozoic Era lasted from about 540 million years ago to about 248 million years ago. During this time period of about 292 million years, shallow seas came inland several times. Sharks and other fish, along with many other kinds of animals, lived in the water.
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ScienceDirect
sciencedirect.com › topics › earth-and-planetary-sciences › paleozoic-era
Paleozoic Era - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
The Paleozoic era started 541 Ma, after the breakup of a supercontinent, Pannotia. This led to the aggregation of the tropical continent of Laurussia, consisting of present-day Europe and North America, at the end of the Ordovician around 440 Ma – see Fig. 8.1A (Scotese, 2004, 2021; Scotese ...
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University of Minnesota
cse.umn.edu › mgs › paleozoic-geology
Paleozoic Geology | Minnesota Geological Survey | College of Science and Engineering
Each time the shoreface passed across southeastern Minnesota, it left behind sandy deposits. The Mt. Simon Sandstone, the oldest Paleozoic Era formation, was deposited during the initial Cambrian Period flooding of Minnesota, during which the shoreface migrated northward when southeastern Minnesota was covered with water.
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EBSCO
ebsco.com › research-starters › geology › paleozoic-era
Paleozoic Era | Research Starters | EBSCO Research
The Paleozoic Era, spanning from approximately 544 to 251 million years ago, is the oldest era of the Phanerozoic eon and marks a significant period in Earth's history characterized by diverse and complex life forms.
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PBS
pbs.org › wgbh › evolution › change › deeptime › paleoz.html
Paleozoic Era - Evolution: Change: Deep Time
Intro | Precambrian Eon | Paleozoic Era | Mesozoic Era | Cenozoic Era · Paleozoic Era: (543-248 mya)
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Earth System Science
cotf.edu › ete › modules › msese › earthsysflr › paleozoic.html
Earth Floor: Geologic Time
Paleozoic ("Ancient Life") Era This is the first of three geologic eras squeezed into the last 10% of Earth's whole geologic history. But things are really starting to happen! This last 10% of Earth's history is called the "Phanerozoic Eon" or eon of "evident life."
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Simple Book Publishing
open.maricopa.edu › fallglg102 › chapter › paleozoic-evolution
Paleozoic Evolution – Introduction to Historical Geology
The beginning of the Paleozoic Era is marked by the first appearance of hard body parts like shells, spikes, teeth, and scales; and the appearance in the rock record of most animal phyla known today. Most basic animal body plans appeared in the rock record during the Cambrian Period.
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Geosciences LibreTexts
geo.libretexts.org › bookshelves › geology › an introduction to geology (johnson, affolter, inkenbrandt, and mosher) › 8: earth history
8.6: Paleozoic - Geosciences LibreTexts
August 25, 2025 - Since the younger rocks of the Phanerozoic are more common and contain the majority of fossils, the study of this eon yields much greater detail. It is further subdivided into three eras: Paleozoic (“ancient life”), Mesozoic (“middle life”), and Cenozoic (“recent life”).