Neoproterozoic (jan 1, 1000000000 BC – jan 1, 541000000 BC)

Description:

The Neoproterozoic Era is the unit of geologic time from 1,000 million to 541 million years ago. It is the last era of the Precambrian Supereon and the Proterozoic Eon; it is subdivided into the Tonian, Cryogenian, and Ediacaran Periods. It is preceded by the Mesoproterozoic era and succeeded by the Paleozoic era of the Phanerozoic eon. The most severe glaciation known in the geologic record occurred during the Cryogenian, when ice sheets may have reached the equator and formed a "Snowball Earth". The earliest fossils of complex multicellular life are found in the Ediacaran period. These organisms make up the Ediacaran biota, including the oldest definitive animals in the fossil record. According to Rino and co-workers, the sum of the continental crust formed in the Pan-African orogeny and the Grenville orogeny makes the Neoproterozoic the period of Earth's history that has produced most continental crust.

Added to timeline:

Date:

Images: