Projects ‎ > ‎ Visible Paleo-Earth ‎ > ‎ Earth: Evolution of a Habitable Planet (Animated Poster)



Present 000 Ma 15°C 21% O 2 0.04% CO 2 29% Land 71% Ocean 68% Vegetation 11% Ice 21% Desert Humans•Birds•Mammals Reptiles•Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life



Early Neogene 020 Ma 15°C 23% O 2 0.03% CO 2 30% Land 70% Ocean 81% Vegetation 2% Ice 17% Desert Birds•Mammals Reptiles•Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life

Middle Paleogene 035 Ma 16°C 22% O 2 0.05% CO 2

29% Land 71% Ocean 85% Vegetation 1% Ice 14% Desert Birds•Mammals Reptiles•Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life

Early Paleogene 050 Ma 17°C 22% O 2 0.09% CO 2

28% Land 72% Ocean 88% Vegetation 1% Ice 11% Desert Birds•Mammals Reptiles•Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life

Cretaceous-Paleogene 065 Ma 18°C 22% O 2 0.08% CO 2

26% Land 74% Ocean 89% Vegetation 0% Ice 11% Desert Dinosaurs•Birds•Mammals Reptiles•Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life Late Cretaceous 090 Ma 19°C 22% O 2 0.12% CO 2

23% Land 77% Ocean 95% Vegetation 0% Ice 5% Desert Dinosaurs•Birds•Mammals Reptiles•Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life

Early Cretaceous 105 Ma 19°C 22% O 2 0.15% CO 2

24% Land 76% Ocean 97% Vegetation 0% Ice 3% Desert Dinosaurs•Birds•Mammals Reptiles•Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life Early Cretaceous 120 Ma 18°C 19% O 2 0.17% CO 2

26% Land 74% Ocean 95% Vegetation 0% Ice 5% Desert Dinosaurs•Birds•Mammals Reptiles•Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life Late Jurassic 150 Ma 18°C 16% O 2 0.21% CO 2

25% Land 75% Ocean 96% Vegetation 0% Ice 4% Desert Dinosaurs•Birds•Mammals Reptiles•Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life Middle Jurassic 170 Ma 18°C 15% O 2 0.24% CO 2

26% Land 74% Ocean 89% Vegetation 0% Ice 11% Desert Dinosaurs•Mammals Reptiles•Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life Late Triassic

200 Ma

17°C 19% O 2 0.15% CO 2 27% Land 73% Ocean 82% Vegetation 0% Ice 17% Desert Dinosaurs•Mammals Reptiles•Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life

Late Triassic

220 Ma

18°C 23% O 2 0.16% CO 2

28% Land 72% Ocean 84% Vegetation 0% Ice 16% Desert Dinosaurs•Mammals Reptiles•Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life Middle Triassic

240 Ma

21°C 19% O 2 0.19% CO 2

27% Land 73% Ocean 83% Vegetation 0% Ice 17% Desert Reptiles•Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life Late Permian

260 Ma

19°C 31% O 2 0.05% CO 2

26% Land 74% Ocean 79% Vegetation 13% Ice 8% Desert Reptiles•Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life Early Permian

280 Ma

15°C 32% O 2 0.04% CO 2

25% Land 75% Ocean 81% Vegetation 10% Ice 9% Desert Reptiles•Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life Late Carboniferous

300 Ma

14°C 30% O 2 0.04% CO 2 21% Land 79% Ocean 78% Vegetation 20% Ice 2% Desert Reptiles•Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life

Middle Carboniferous

340 Ma

16°C 23% O 2 0.08% CO 2

20% Land 80% Ocean 90% Vegetation 8% Ice 2% Desert Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life Late Devonian

370 Ma

20°C 18% O 2 0.23% CO 2

19% Land 81% Ocean 96% Vegetation 0% Ice 4% Desert Insects•Plants Amphibians•Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life Early Devonian

400 Ma

19°C 22% O 2 0.32% CO 2

21% Land 79% Ocean 97% Vegetation 0% Ice 3% Desert Plants •Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life Middle Silurian

430 Ma

18°C 21% O 2 0.48% CO 2

19% Land 81% Ocean 95% Vegetation 0% Ice 5% Desert Plants •Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life Early Silurian

440 Ma

18°C 20% O 2 0.47% CO 2 19% Land 81% Ocean 79% Vegetation 0% Ice 21% Desert Plants •Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life



Late Ordovician

450 Ma

17°C 18% O 2 0.44% CO 2

19% Land 81% Ocean 79% Vegetation 0% Ice 21% Desert Plants •Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life Middle Ordovician

470 Ma

20°C 16% O 2 0.50% CO 2

19% Land 81% Ocean 58% Vegetation 12% Ice 30% Desert Plants • Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life Late Cambrian

500 Ma

22°C 18% O 2 0.53% CO 2

23% Land 77% Ocean 47% Vegetation 0% Ice 53% Desert Plants • Fishes Arthropods• Molluscs Microbial Life Early Cambrian

540 Ma

—°C 19% O 2 —CO 2

27% Land 73% Ocean 0% Vegetation 0% Ice 100% Desert Arthropods• Molluscs Ediacaran Microbial Life Late Ediacaran

560 Ma

—°C — O 2 — CO 2 28% Land 72% Ocean 0% Vegetation 0% Ice 100% Desert Ediacaran Microbial Life





Early Ediacaran

600 Ma

—°C — O 2 — CO 2

30% Land 70% Ocean 0% Vegetation 16% Ice 84% Desert Ediacaran Microbial Life Late Cryogenian

660 Ma

—°C — O 2 — CO 2

18% Land 82% Ocean 0% Vegetation 63% Ice 37% Desert Microbial Life Late Cryogenian

690 Ma

—°C — O 2 — CO 2

13% Land 87% Ocean

0% Vegetation 49% Ice 51% Desert Microbial Life Middle Cryogenian

750 Ma

—°C — O 2 — CO 2

18% Land 82% Ocean

0% Vegetation 37% Ice 63% Desert Microbial Life



Note: All values shown in this poster are approximations and there is some disagreement between different scientific sources. Additional d ata was obtained from the following references: Berner, R. A. and Kothavala, Z. (2001). GEOCARB III: A revised model of atmospheric CO2 over Phanerozoic time. Am. J. of Science , 301 , 2, 182.

, , 2, 182. Berner, R. A. (2006). Geological nitrogen cycle and atmospheric N2 over Phanerozoic time. Geology , 34 , 5, 413.

, , 5, 413. Berner, R. A. (2009). Phanerozoic atmospheric oxygen: New results using the GEOCARBSULF model. American Journal of Science , 309 , 7, 603.

, , 7, 603. Caldeira K, Kasting JF (1992) The life-span of the biosphere revisited. Nature , 360 , 6406, 721–723.

, , 6406, 721–723. Royer, D. L., Berner, R. A., Montañez, I. P., Tabor, N. J., and Beerling, D. J. (2004). CO2 as a primary driver of Phanerozoic climate. GSA Today , 14 , 3, 4-10.

, , 3, 4-10. Williams, G. E. (1993). History of the Earth's obliquity. Earth-Science Reviews, 34, 1, 1-45. This animated poster summarizes the evolution of the atmosphere, geology, and biology of Earth in the last 750 million years during its most habitable periods. The poster was constructed from data and images from the Visible Paleo-Earth project and other sources referenced at the end of this page. A video summary of the events of major extinctions is also included below.