Orosirian facts for kids
The Orosirian is an important time period in Earth's history. It is the third period in the Palaeoproterozoic Eon, which is an early part of Earth's long past. This period started about 2.05 billion years ago and finished around 1.8 billion years ago.
What Happened During the Orosirian Period?
During the second half of the Orosirian period, many new mountains formed on almost all continents. This process is called mountain-building. It was also the time when a huge supercontinent, known as Columbia, started to come together. Imagine all the land on Earth slowly moving and joining up to form one giant landmass!
Giant Impacts on Earth
Two of the biggest asteroid impacts ever known on Earth happened during the Orosirian period. These were massive events that changed the planet's surface.
- Vredefort Crater: At the very beginning of the Orosirian period, about 2.02 billion years ago, a huge asteroid crashed into Earth. This created the Vredefort impact structure in what is now South Africa. It's one of the largest and oldest impact craters we know of!
- Sudbury Basin: Near the end of the Orosirian period, around 1.85 billion years ago, another giant impact happened. This event formed the Sudbury Basin in Canada. Today, this area is known for its rich mineral deposits, which were created or changed by the impact.
These impacts show how active and sometimes violent Earth's early history was, with space rocks often hitting our planet.
| 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) |
See also
In Spanish: Período Orosírico para niños
