Era Neoproterozoic Era

Time runs left (older) → right (younger) · Hover a card for details

Snowball Earth; Ediacaran animals (1000-539 Ma).

1.00 Ga – 538.80 Ma · 461.20 Ma duration

Axis labels in Ma (millions of years ago) · Click a card for details

Neoproterozoic Era 4

717 Ma – 660 Ma Snowball Earth — Sturtian First global glaciation Glaciers advance to the equator, freezing the entire ocean surface. Life survives in isolated refugia.
650 Ma – 635 Ma Snowball Earth — Marinoan Second global glaciation Second global glaciation; its dramatic end triggers the Ediacaran explosion of animal life.
600 Ma – 550 Ma Gondwana Begins Assembling Southern supercontinent forms Components of future Gondwana come together as Rodinia breaks apart.
575 Ma First Animals Ediacaran biota appear First unambiguous multicellular animals — soft-bodied Dickinsonia and Charnia, preserved as seafloor impressions.