Geologic Time Scale Activity
Group Members:
Precambrian: ________All members________
Paleozoic: _____________________________
Mesozoic: _____________________________
Cenozoic: _____________________________
Directions: Your mission as a group is this.
1) Cut a three foot piece of butcher paper (the white rolled paper)
2) Make accurate representations of how long each period was on each paper using your math skills.
(Check the back of the paper, if you’re stuck to find out how many inches out of your 36 inch paper your
era was)
3) When your geologic era is all measured out you need to do some research to find some information
about your era. You need to find the 1) the plants/animals that lived in your era, 2) The changes to the
planet that may have happened during that time (mountains forming, meteor impact, etc.) 3) At least 3
interesting events, facts, or items you discovered about your era. You may use the book to help you or the
internet, but BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT SITES YOU USE AND TRUST
4) When you have your information you need to:
- label your era, and write how long it lasted
- draw/label/color at least three creatures that lived in your era.
- draw/color at least two major geologic events that happened in your era, with a short sentence explaining
what geologic events you drew on your paper.
- draw/label/color at least 3 interesting facts you discovered about your era.
NOTE:
(
IF YOUR ERA IS VERY SMALL ON YOUR PAPER, YOU MAY USE A
CLEAN WHITE SHEET OF PAPER, OR TWO IF NEEDED IN ORDER TO PUT YOUR
CREATURES, GEOLOGIC EVENTS, AND INTERESTING FACTS. THEN ATTACH IT TO YOUR
THREE FOOT GEOLOGIC TIME PAPER)
Brian Soash
[email protected]
HELP, HOW DO I FIND OUT HOW
MANY INCHES MY ERA SHOULD
BE ON MY THREE FOOT LONG
PAPER!!!
-Your paper is 3 feet or 36 inches long.
-Earth is 4.6 billion years old OR (4,600,000,000 in a calculator)
-How long is your era? For example if the era was 325 million years to 150 million years ago it had to
have been 175 million years long (325-175)
- If your era was 175 million years long, out of the possible 4.6 billion you could find your percentage of
how long it was in all geologic time by making it a simple fraction. (175,000,000/4,600,000,000 in
calculator) which is .038 or 3.8%
-If your era is 3.8% of all geologic time, which is 36 total inches on your paper, you could multiply to find
the total number inches it should be (is over of equals percent over one hundred that you learned in 7th
x
3.8%
grade math) or

36inches 100
-Which gives you 100x=136.8 when you cross multiply. And you can solve for “x” by dividing both sides
100 x 136.8
be 100.
or 1.368 inches.

100
100
-So in all geologic time your era would only be 1.368 inches wide on your entire 36 inch long sheet of
geologic time paper.
Brian Soash
[email protected]