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Precambrian geochronologyProterozoic

Proterozoic

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

A stunning view of Earth from space, showing our planet as a beautiful blue marble.

The Proterozoic

The Proterozoic was an important time in Earth's history. It lasted from 2,500 to about 539 million years ago. This was a very long time before humans were around. The Proterozoic came after a time called the Archean and before another time called the Phanerozoic.

During the Proterozoic, big changes happened to Earth's air. Tiny plants helped make oxygen, which is the air we breathe today. This oxygen made it possible for more kinds of life to grow. Scientists think that special cells, called eukaryotes, began to appear. These cells are important because many plants and animals today have them.

The Proterozoic had three parts: the Paleoproterozoic, Mesoproterozoic, and Neoproterozoic. In this time, Earth had very cold periods called glaciations. Some scientists think Earth may have frozen over, like a big snowball, during these times.

Big landmasses, called supercontinents, formed and broke apart. One of these was Rodinia. These changes helped shape the lands we see today. Even though life was still very simple, it was getting ready to become more varied and complex in the future.

Images

An artistic representation of important events from Earth's Proterozoic eon, showing early life forms and ancient landscapes.
An artist's reconstruction of the supercontinent Rodinia as it may have looked 900 million years ago, showing how the world's landmasses were once joined together.
An ancient map showing the continent of Gondwana as it looked 420 million years ago, centered on the South Pole.
A diagram showing the layers of rock in the Williston Basin, helping us learn about Earth's history.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Proterozoic, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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