An artistic global map depicting the supercontinent Pangea around 250 to 300 million years ago, showing the initial separation of what would become North America from the northern edge of future Africa.
c. 300 Million BCE: Pangea – The Ancient Supercontinent

Delves into the formation of Pangea, the ancient supercontinent, over 300 million years ago, through a series of continent-continent collisions, highlighting the concept of continental drift proposed by Alfred Wegener and supporting evidence from fossils [...]

Ancient peaks and canyons characterize the Atlas Mountains, stretching about 2,500 kilometers (1,600 miles) across Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia
c. 300 Million BCE: The Geological Evolution of the Atlas Mountains

Explores the formation of the Atlas Mountains, originating from the Alleghenian orogeny 300 million years ago due to Africa and North America's collision, and their later reformation through African and European plate interactions, leading to [...]

Based on fossil evidence, early reptiles like Hylonomus likely resembled modern lizards, as shown here
c. 320 Million BCE: The Evolutionary Journey of Reptiles

Traces the evolution of reptiles, starting 375 million years ago from amphibious tetrapods, highlighting their adaptation to lay eggs on land and the emergence of species like Hylonomus, leading to a diverse lineage including dinosaurs [...]

Tall, rugged peaks near the village of Saranpaul in central Russia showcase the enduring youthfulness of the ancient Ural Mountains.
c. 320 Million BCE: The Enduring Ural Mountains – Asia’s Ancient Peaks

Examines the Ural Mountains' formation and endurance, highlighting their unique geological history that has protected them from the tectonic activities and erosions that typically diminish ancient ranges, allowing them to maintain significant heights even today

An artist's rendition of Ichthyostega, a 5-foot-long transitional vertebrate blending fish features like a tail and gills with amphibian traits such as a skull and limbs
c. 375 Million BCE: The Dawn of Land Animals – From Fish to Tetrapods

Explores the emergence of complex multicellular life 550 million years ago, including the first vertebrates and tetrapods, highlighting Ichthyostega, one of the earliest creatures to venture onto land, and the profound impact of this evolutionary [...]

Volcanic eruptions, continental glaciations, asteroid impacts, and ocean chemistry shifts potentially caused the End Ordovician and late Devonian mass extinctions, each eliminating 70-85% of species 450 and 360 million years ago
c. 450 Million BCE: nderstanding Mass Extinctions in Earth’s History

Delves into the history of mass extinctions, highlighting the catastrophic End Ordovician event 450 million years ago that wiped out up to 85% of species, mainly shallow water and planktonic marine organisms, likely due to [...]

These early land plants, resembling mosses here on these rocks, likely grew near water
c. 470 Million BCE: The Emergence of Land Plants and Their Impact on Earth

Explores the evolution of the first land plants from aquatic ancestors, their adaptations to survive desiccation, and their significant impact on Earth's atmosphere and ecology, including the increase of oxygen and the emergence of wildfires

This satellite image shows the ancient, folded, and eroded remnants of the Appalachian Mountains, depicted as brown bands, in the northeastern United States. New York City is visible just above the center right of the image.
c. 480 Million BCE: The Geological History of the Appalachian Mountains

Examines the formation and evolution of the Appalachian Mountains, tracing their origins to multiple plate collisions starting around 480 million years ago and discussing their transformation from towering peaks to the more subdued landscapes seen [...]

This image shows the Pyrénées Mountains, which are both geologically young and ancient, located within Ordesa National Park in Spain.
c. 500 Million BCE: The Geologic History of the Pyrénées Mountains

Delves into the geologic process of mountain-building, focusing on the Pyrénées mountain range. It highlights the range's formation from the collision of the Iberian microcontinent with the European plate and traces its roots back to [...]

This image displays fossilized remains, encased in lithified seafloor sediments, of exoskeletons and other hard-shelled body parts from organisms that emerged around 550 million years ago. These fossils are indicative of the "Cambrian explosion," a period that saw a significant increase in life's diversity on Earth.
c. 550 Million BCE: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Cambrian Explosion

Explores the Cambrian Explosion, a pivotal period about 550 million years ago marked by a dramatic increase in life's diversity, including the emergence of hard-shelled eukaryotic organisms, and discusses the mass extinctions that followed