Geologic Time Scale

Name the periods of time in our current eon, and also the two epochs of our current period.

Start = millions of years ago

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Last updated: June 12, 2017

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First submitted	July 1, 2014
Times taken	8,610
Average score	42.9%
Rating	4.39

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Era	Period	Epoch	Start
Cenozoic	Quaternary	Holocene	0.0117
		Pleistocene	2.58
	Neogene		23
	Paleogene		66
Mesozoic	Cretaceous		145
	Jurassic		201
	Triassic		252

Era	Period	Start
Paleozoic	Permian	298
	Carboniferous	358
	Devonian	419
	Silurian	443
	Ordovician	485
	Cambrian	541

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30 Comments

Level 80

Aug 1, 2017

Please accept Palaeogene as well as Paleogene

Level 27

Aug 30, 2017

yes plz

Level 74

Aug 29, 2017

Nice learning quiz - only got 3 the first time.

Level 85

Feb 23, 2020

Yep, I knew this one was going to be for educational purposes only. Got the standard 3, then tried "Kardashian", then gave up.

Started reading the answers, hoping a few would be familiar, but only Cambrian rang a bell.

Level 56

Aug 29, 2017

I get that everyone knows the Jurassic because of Jurassic Park but why do so many also know the Triassic and the Cretaceous compared to the other eons?

+20

Level 72

Aug 29, 2017

Dinosaurs, man. Dinosaurs.

Level 81

Aug 29, 2017

Yeah they talk about them all the time in dinosaur books aimed at kids.

+16

Level 72

Aug 30, 2017

Ouch. Hey, my books say "6 and up." "AND UP!"

Level 56

Sep 1, 2017

I guess none of the dinosaur books reached me. In contrast, I knew about the Ordovician, Silurian and Devonian early on because the area that is now Estonia rose above sea level in those periods.

Level 32

Dec 11, 2017

After that, a big drop off.

Level 85

Aug 29, 2017

You should accept "palaeogene".

Level 89

Aug 29, 2017

Only got 3 :/

Level 81

Aug 29, 2017

The good ol' days

Level 68

Aug 29, 2017

Crustaceous didn't work. Oops!

Level 79

Aug 29, 2017

How about bodacious?

Level 78

Aug 29, 2017

What about Pliocene, Miocene, and Oligocene?

Level 67

Aug 29, 2017

Epochs of the Neogene and Paleogene, together with the Eocene and Paleocene. Apparently not worth a mention.

Level 67

Aug 30, 2017

It's the CAMBRIAN explosion!

Level 67

Mar 28, 2020

r/unexpectedbillwurtz

Level 61

Dec 22, 2017

Anthropocene needs to be its own epoch.

Level 73

Oct 31, 2018

Yep. Please include Anthropocene. Signed, geologists.

Level 75

Sep 3, 2019

As a(n old) geologist - NO IT DOESN'T. And while we're at it, please accept tertiary. Otherwise KT boundary makes even less sense.

Level 68

Dec 22, 2018

Missed Pleistocene! Dang it.

Level 87

May 4, 2019

Definitely thought I was just making up "Paleocene," but I got a point for it because apparently it was close enough to "Paleogene" (although in retrospect not trying "Neogene" after getting that one was kind of dumb on my part).

Level 26

Aug 14, 2019

got all except pleistocene

Level 26

Aug 14, 2019

also, where is Precambrian Period?

Level 67

Mar 28, 2020

Not sure they have periods for back then.

Level 53

Aug 2, 2020

The precambrian is a superæon, and there are periods in the Proterozoic æon. This is a quiz for our current æon, and so the Precambrian isn't there because of that as well.

Level 66

Jul 16, 2021

Is that considered cheating if I knew all the answers in my language, but I needed to check the english names?

Level 76

Jun 22, 2023

Great quiz, it's my reminder to dust off my paleontology knowledge once again.