Deep Time Table
We don't have any real feel for time outside of our 100 year life span. We can maybe have an appreciation for our great-grand-parent's time and our great-grand-children's time but beyond that it rapidly loses relevance to us. It quickly becomes "Deep Time", a sort of black hole of events in past and future times for which we really don't have any feel. When we start talking about 10,000 years in the past or future it's all "Deep Time" to us. We know little about what life was like for the first farmers or what life will be like 10,000 years from now. We can't even begin to imagine it that except that it will not be like what we know today, or then again maybe it will. We have evolved little in 10,000 years and are unlikely to evolve much more in another 10,000 years, unless we modify our genetics, and the question is "Do we really want to?" Maybe we should just fix the defects. For me, I still want to enjoy the sunsets and the green hills of earth.
The table below may help shed some light on this thing called "Deep Time."
The time scale is one year equals one ten thousandth of an inch.
| Years Ago |
Event |
Inches |
Feet |
Miles |
| 13,800,000,000 |
Age of Universe |
1,380,000 |
115,000 |
21.8 |
| 13,400,000,000 |
First Stars Formed |
1,340,000 |
111,666 |
21.1 |
| 13,200,000,000 |
Age of Milky Way |
1,320,000 |
110,000 |
20.8 |
| 4,540,000,000 |
Age of Sun and Earth |
454,000 |
37,833 |
7.17 |
| 4,500,000,000 |
Moon Formed by Proto Planet Striking Earth |
450,000 |
37,500 |
7.10 |
| 4,000,000,000 |
Some Evidence of Earliest Life |
400,000 |
33,333 |
6.31 |
| 3,900,000,000 |
Heavy Asteroid Bombardment |
390,000 |
32,500 |
6.16 |
| 3,700,000,000 |
Earliest Fossils (Stromatolites) |
370,000 |
30,833 |
5.83 |
| 3,500,000,000 |
Plate Tectonics Starts |
300,000 |
25,000 |
4.73 |
| 3,490,000,000 |
First Single Cell Life |
349,000 |
29,083 |
5.51 |
| 3,400,000,000 |
First Photosynthesis |
340,000 |
28,333 |
5.37 |
| 2,700,000,000 |
First Oxygen Added to Atmosphere (Oxidation Event) |
270,000 |
22,500 |
4.26 |
| 2,200,000,000 |
1st Snowball Earth (Complete Ice and Snow Cover) |
220,000 |
18,333 |
3.47 |
| 2,100,000,000 |
First Multicellular Life |
210,000 |
17,500 |
3.31 |
| 1,600,000,000 |
First Plant Life and First Complex Life |
160,000 |
13,333 |
2.53 |
| 1,560,000,000 |
First Life Large Enough To Be Seen |
156,000 |
13,000 |
2.46 |
| 1,400,000,000 |
Day's length was 19 hours |
140,000 |
11,667 |
2.21 |
| 1,300,000,000 |
Earth's Core Begins to Solidify |
130,000 |
10,333 |
1.96 |
| 1,100,000,000 |
Single Super Continent Rodina Formed |
110,000 |
9,167 |
1.74 |
| 809,000,000 |
Earliest use of minerals to make shells for animals |
80,900 |
6,742 |
1.28 |
| 750,000,000 |
Super Continent Rodina begins to break up |
75,000 |
6.250 |
1.18 |
| 710,000,000 |
2nd Snowball Earth (Complete Ice and Snow Cover) |
71,000 |
5,917 |
1.12 |
| 630,000,000 |
Oxygen finally grows above 3 percent (see chart below) |
63,000 |
5,250 |
0.99 |
| 565,000,000 |
Earth forms solid inner core saving its magnetic field |
56,500 |
4,708 |
0.89 |
| 565,000,000 |
First Land Plants |
56,500 |
4,708 |
0.89 |
| 542,000,000 |
First Animal Life in Ocean (Cambrian Explosion of Life) |
54,200 |
4,517 |
0.86 |
| 530,000,000 |
First Animal Life on Land (footprints on shore) |
53,000 |
4,417 |
0.84 |
| 445,000,000 |
1st Mass Extinction (70% of all species) |
44,500 |
3,708 |
0.70 |
| 420,000,000 |
Atmospheric oxygen starts reaching modern levels |
42,000 |
3,500 |
0.66 |
| 400,000,000 |
First Insects |
40,000 |
3,333 |
0.63 |
| 365,000,000 |
2nd Mass Extinction (70% of all species) |
36,500 |
3,042 |
0.58 |
| 340,000,000 |
Oldest undisturbed oceanic crust (in Mediterranean) |
34,000 |
2,833 |
0.54 |
| 333,000,000 |
First Amphibians |
33,300 |
2,775 |
0.53 |
| 320,000,000 |
First Reptiles |
32,000 |
2,667 |
0.51 |
| 300,000,000 |
Single Super Continent Pangaea Formed |
30,000 |
2,500 |
0.47 |
| 280,000,000 |
Highest Percentage of Oxygen (35%) |
28,000 |
2,333 |
0.44 |
| 251,000,000 |
Northern Russia Siberian Traps Major Volcanic Eruption |
25,100 |
2,092 |
0.40 |
| 251,000,000 |
3rd Mass Extinction (95% of all species) |
25,100 |
2,092 |
0.40 |
| 250,000,000 |
Time for Sun to Orbit the Milky Way |
25,000 |
2,083 |
0.39 |
| 240,000,000 |
Atmospheric Oxygen Drops to 14% |
24,000 |
2,000 |
0.38 |
| 231,400,000 |
First Dinosaurs |
23,140 |
1,928 |
0.37 |
| 220,000,000 |
First Mammals (shrew like, smaller than mice) |
22,000 |
1,833 |
0.35 |
| 200,000,000 |
Super Continent Pangaea begins to break up |
20,000 |
1,667 |
0.32 |
| 200,000,000 |
4th Mass Extinction (75% of all species) |
20,000 |
1,667 |
0.32 |
| 165,000,000 |
First Birds |
16,000 |
1,333 |
0.25 |
| 100,000,000 |
Americas Start Breaking Off from Pangaea |
10,000 |
833 |
0.16 |
| 70,000,000 |
Atmospheric Oxygen Rises to 31% |
7,000 |
583 |
0.11 |
| 66,000,000 |
5th Mass Extinction by Asteroid (75% of all species) |
6,600 |
550 |
0.10 |
| 66,000,000 |
Southeast Asia Deccan Traps Major Volcanic Eruption |
6,600 |
550 |
0.10 |
| 56,000,000 |
Comet strike off New England sets off global warming |
5,600 |
467 |
0.09 |
| 55,000,000 |
First Primates |
5,500 |
458 |
0.09 |
| 30,000,000 |
Age of World's Oldest Deserts (in Central Asia) |
3,000 |
250 |
0.05 |
| 15,000,000 |
Age of Lake Vostok sealed under the Antarctic Ice Cap |
1,500 |
125 |
0.02 |
| 10,000,000 |
Atmospheric Oxygen Drops to 21% |
1,000 |
83 |
0.02 |
| 7,000,000 |
First Hominins branch-off from Primates |
700 |
58.0 |
0.01 |
| 3,800,000 |
Proteins found in fossil ostrich shell |
380 |
31.7 |
0.01 |
| 3,600,000 |
First Footprint Evidence that Hominins walked upright |
360 |
30 |
0.01 |
| 3,300,000 |
First chipped stone tools (pre-human) |
330 |
27.5 |
0.01 |
| 3,200,000 |
Pliocene, Arctic was green, oceans 80 feet higher |
320 |
26.7 |
0.01 |
| 3,000,000 |
Hominins First Graves, First Burying of Dead |
300 |
25.0 |
|
| 2,100,000 |
First Hominins found outside Africa |
210 |
17.5 |
|
| 1,900,000 |
Hominins develop full bipedalism |
190 |
15.8 |
|
| 1,700,000 |
First use of fire |
170 |
14.2 |
|
| 1,700,000 |
First Known Human Tumor |
170 |
14.2 |
|
| 1,500,000 |
Hominins develop extended childhood |
150 |
12.5 |
|
| 800,000 |
Hominins begin developing bigger brains |
80.0 |
6.67 |
|
| 800,000 |
First chipped stone hand axe |
80.0 |
6.67 |
|
| 640,000 |
Yellowstone Caldera Major Volcanic Eruption |
64.0 |
5.33 |
|
| 540,000 |
First recognizable art |
54.0 |
4.50 |
|
| 450,000 |
Britain breaks off from Europe |
45.0 |
3.75 |
|
| 350,000 |
First making of fire |
35.0 |
2.92 |
|
| 350,000 |
Neanderthals evolve from Hominins |
35.0 |
2.92 |
|
| 300,000 |
First chipped stone spear head |
30.0 |
2.50 |
|
| 250,000 |
Age of hominin Homo Naledi |
25.0 |
2.08 |
|
| 250,000 |
Homo Sapiens evolve from Hominins |
25.0 |
2.08 |
|
| 130,000 |
Neanderthals were in America |
13.0 |
1.08 |
|
| 110,000 |
Beginning of Last Ice Age |
11.0 |
0.92 |
|
| 100,000 |
Humans begin burying their dead |
10.0 |
0.83 |
|
| 73,000 |
Southeast Asia Lake Toba Supervolcano Eruption |
7.30 |
0.61 |
|
| 73,000 |
Homo Sapiens Near Extinction by Global Volcanic Winter |
7.30 |
0.61 |
|
| 60,000 |
Homo Sapiens migrate out of Africa |
6.00 |
0.50 |
|
| 50,000 |
Meteor strike in Arizona forms Barringer Crater |
5.00 |
0.42 |
|
| 43,000 |
First cave art |
4.30 |
0.36 |
|
| 42,000 |
Oldest Neanderthal burial with funeral ritual |
4.20 |
0.35 |
|
| 30,000 |
Homo Sapiens begin domesticating wolves |
3.00 |
0.25 |
|
| 27,000 |
Neanderthals go extinct |
2.70 |
0.23 |
|
| 22,000 |
Oceans were 400 feet lower due to Ice Age |
2.20 |
0.18 |
|
| 18,000 |
First domesticated dogs |
1.80 |
0.15 |
|
| 15,000 |
First Armed Conflict (in Mesopotamia) |
1.50 |
0.13 |
|
| 14,000 |
First dental work |
1.40 |
0.12 |
|
| 14,000 |
Homo Sapiens migrate to Americas |
1.40 |
0.12 |
|
| 13,000 |
Comet strike in Turkey causes mini Ice Age |
1.30 |
0.11 |
|
| 12,000 |
End of Last Ice Age |
1.20 |
0.10 |
|
| 12,000 |
First farming in Mesopotamia (barley, wheat and figs) |
1.20 |
0.10 |
|
| 11,000 |
First livestock in Mesopotamia (sheep, goats and cattle) |
1.10 |
0.09 |
|
| 10,000 |
First cooking of plants in pots |
1.00 |
0.08 |
|
| 9,000 |
First farming of rice in China |
0.90 |
0.08 |
|
| 9,000 |
First domesticated cats |
0.90 |
0.08 |
|
| 7,000 |
Mediterranean floods Black Sea, Noah's Ark Myth source |
0.70 |
0.06 |
|
| 6,000 |
Sahara desert was green and covered with rivers |
0.60 |
0.05 |
|
| 6,000 |
Domestication of donkeys, horses and chickens |
0.60 |
0.05 |
|
| 5,500 |
First wheels (as pottery wheels and on sleds) |
0.55 |
0.05 |
|
| 5,300 |
Bronze Age starts, copper and bronze tools & weapons |
0.53 |
0.04 |
|
| 5,200 |
First writing (recording grain in clay pots) |
0.52 |
0.04 |
|
| 5,150 |
Egyptian civilization starts |
0.52 |
0.04 |
|
| 4,700 |
First Egyptian pyramid, stepped |
0.47 |
0.04 |
|
| 4,600 |
Stonehenge built |
0.46 |
0.04 |
|
| 4,500 |
First civilizations in the Americas |
0.45 |
0.04 |
|
| 4,000 |
First Chinese civilization |
0.40 |
0.03 |
|
| 4,000 |
Greeks domesticated grapes |
0.40 |
0.03 |
|
| 3,700 |
Last Egyptian pyramid, triangular |
0.37 |
0.03 |
|
| 3,600 |
Earliest glass blowing either in Mesopotamia or Egypt |
0.36 |
0.03 |
|
| 3,500 |
Jewish religion starts |
0.35 |
0.03 |
|
| 3,200 |
Iron Age starts, iron tools and weapons |
0.32 |
0.03 |
|
| 2,800 |
Greek civilization starts |
0.28 |
0.02 |
|
| 2,800 |
Roman civilization starts |
0.28 |
0.02 |
|
| 2,600 |
First democracy in Greece (free Greek males only) |
0.26 |
0.02 |
|
| 2,300 |
Largest pyramid started, stepped, in Mexico |
0.23 |
0.02 |
|
| 2,000 |
Christian religion starts |
0.20 |
0.02 |
|
| 1,800 |
First printing (in China) |
0.18 |
0.02 |
|
| 1,400 |
Islamic religion starts |
0.14 |
0.01 |
|
| 1,100 |
Largest pyramid finished, stepped, in Mexico |
0.11 |
0.01 |
|
| 1,000 |
Vikings discover North America |
0.10 |
0.01 |
|
| 1,000 |
Iraqi Arab Alhazen invents Scientific Method |
0.10 |
0.01 |
|
| 700 |
First known monkey tools |
0.07 |
|
|
| 565 |
First printing (in Europe) |
0.06 |
|
|
| 500 |
New World discovered and invaded by Europeans |
0.05 |
|
|
| 415 |
Only women elect Huron nation's leaders (discovered) |
0.04 |
|
|
| 405 |
Anthropocene "The Age of Man" begins |
0.04 |
|
|
| 300 |
First steam engines (in England) |
0.03 |
|
|
| 150 |
First tractors (in England) |
0.02 |
|
|
| 140 |
First electric power station (in England) |
0.01 |
|
|
| 130 |
First gas powered car (in Germany) |
0.01 |
|
|
| 120 |
1st radio signals (Italy), TV signals 80 yrs ago (Germany) |
0.01 |
|
|
| 110 |
First powered flight (in America) |
0.01 |
|
|
| 100 |
Women get the vote (1st in 1917 in Russia, 1921 in USA) |
0.01 |
|
|
| +1,000 |
In the future. We don't have a clue! |
+0.10 |
+0.01 |
|
| +10,000 |
In the future. Many civilizations have come and gone. |
+1.00 |
+0.08 |
|
| +15,000,000 |
Moving at 3'' per year Australia runs into Southeast Asia |
+1,500 |
+125 |
+0.02 |
| +3,000,000,000 |
All life has died due to heat from sun. |
+300,000 |
+25,000 |
+4.73 |
| +4,000,000,000 |
Sun's heat hot enough to melt rocks. |
+400,000 |
+33,333 |
+6.31 |
| +4,000,000,000 |
Andromeda Galaxy collides with Milky Way Galaxy |
+400,000 |
+33,333 |
+6.31 |
| +5,000,000,000 |
Sun expands to include Venus's orbit. |
+500,000 |
+41,667 |
+7.89 |
| +7,500,000,000 |
Sun expands to include Earth's orbit. |
+750,000 |
+62,500 |
+11.8 |
Just start walking. After two days and 21.8 miles stop, reach down, and pick up two human hairs. The width of those two human hairs represent your total life span in 21.8 miles! It also represents the time span during which all modern technology has occurred.
Early human fossil sites and early human tool sites
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Deep Time Table
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