Calymmian facts for kids
The Calymmian Period was the first part of the Mesoproterozoic Era. This was a very long time ago in Earth's history! It started about 1.6 billion years ago and ended 1.4 billion years ago.
Contents
What Was the Calymmian Period?
The Calymmian Period is a specific time on Earth's long timeline. Scientists use these periods to organize Earth's history. It helps us understand when major events happened.
How Long Ago Was It?
Imagine a timeline stretching back billions of years. The Calymmian Period began 1,600,000,000 years ago. It then lasted for 200 million years, ending 1,400,000,000 years ago. That's an incredibly long time before humans existed!
What Happened to the Land?
During the Calymmian Period, new land was forming on Earth. Continents were moving around, just like they do today.
The Breakup of Columbia
One of the biggest events was the breakup of a giant landmass called Columbia. Columbia was a "supercontinent." This means it was a huge continent made up of many smaller land pieces joined together.
About 1.5 billion years ago, during the Calymmian Period, this supercontinent started to split apart. This process is called "continental rifting." It's like a giant crack forming in the land, pulling it into separate pieces. This breakup changed the shape of Earth's land and oceans.
| Precambrian (4.567 gya – 541 mya) | |
|---|---|
| In the left column are Eons, bold are Eras, not bold are Periods. gya = billion years ago, mya = million years ago | |
| Hadean (4.567 gya – 4 gya) | Chaotian Zirconian |
| Archaean (4 gya – 2.5 gya) | Eoarchaean (4 gya – 3.6 gya)
Palaeoarchaean (3.6 gya – 3.2 gya) |
| Proterozoic (2.5 gya – 541 mya) | Palaeoproterozoic (2.5 gya – 1.6 gya) Siderian (2.5 gya – 2.3 gya) Rhyacian (2.3 gya – 2.05 gya) Orosirian (2.05 gya – 1.8 gya) Statherian (1.8 gya – 1.6 gya)
Mesoproterozoic (1.6 gya – 1 gya) Calymmian (1.6 gya – 1.4 gya) Ectasian (1.4 gya – 1.2 gya) Stenian (1.2 gya – 1 gya) Neoproterozoic (1 gya - 541 mya) Tonian (1 gya – 720 mya) Cryogenian (720 mya – 635 mya) Ediacaran (635 mya – 541 mya) |
Images for kids
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A robot, representing technology and the future, contrasting with Earth's ancient past.
