Campus Moncloa
Campus of International Excellence
Biogeological Clock
Geodiversity and Biodiversity using a clock that is millions of years old
The history of the Earth is divided into time periods. Each one has its own name and variable duration, its own characteristic geography, climate and organisms.
Let us take you for a walk through time…
Time: Geology deals with very large time spans usually expressed in millions of years (Ma).
Geologic Clock: This clock divides the history of the Earth into 15 time periods. Each one is represented by an internationally agreed colour.
Scale: The geologic time periods used here have very different durations, ranging from a few Ma in the case of the most recent periods to thousands of Ma in the oldest.
Paleogeography: A map shows the distribution of continents and oceans for each time period.
Geological and biological history: The main geological processes and evolution of life are explained for each period.
Concept and design:
Alfredo Baratas Díaz - Juan de Dios Centeno Carrillo - Lorena María García Álvarez
Álvaro García Quintana - Rocío Giménez Fernández - José María Hernández de Miguel
Victoria López-Acevedo Cornejo - Juan Carlos Marín Blanco - María Belén Morales Vancheva
Gisela Oliván Martínez - Raimundo Outerelo Domínguez - Mariano Padilla Cano
Estela Seriña Ramírez - Belén Soutullo García - Ángeles Vázquez Martínez
Image credits:
Marco Ansón - Juan Carlos Gutiérrez Marco - Rocío Giménez Fernández - Eloy Manzanero
Raúl Martín - Miguel Angel Miñón Perez - María Belén Morales Vancheva
Gisela Oliván - Javier Pedraza - Luis G. Quintanilla
cpgeosystems.com -
Wikimedia Commons
Mock-ups:
Paris Matía (Team director and coordinator. Faculty of Fine Arts, UCM)
Olga Rodrigo, Mª Jesús Romero, Óscar Rodrigo, Elvira Saldaña, Alejandro Lee
Biodiversity Interpretation Centre
Alphonso XIII Royal Botanical Garden
Initiative funded by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology within the framework of the Call for aid for the 2012 scientific culture and innovation programme
| Hadean | ~4600-4000 M.a. |
| Archean | 4000-2500 M.a. |
| Proterozoic | 2500-541 M.a. |
| Cambrian | 541-485 M.a. |
| Ordovician | 485-443 M.a. |
| Silurian | 443-419 M.a. |
| Devonian | 419-359 M.a. |
| Carboniferous | 359-299 M.a. |
| Permian | 299-252 M.a. |
| Triassic | 252-201 M.a. |
| Jurassic | 201-145 M.a. |
| Cretaceous | 145-66 M.a. |
| Paleogene | 66-23 M.a. |
| Neogene | 23-2,6 M.a. |
| Quaternary | 2,6 M.a.-act. |
