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// CONTINENTAL DRIFT
540 million years of a moving world.
Continents drift, oceans open and close, climates swing from greenhouse to ice age — and life changes with them. This guide walks the geological periods that PaleoDex maps, from the dawn of animal life to the present day. We're starting with three pivotal periods; the timeline fills in toward all 12 the app covers.
PALEOZOIC ERA
Cambrian Period
538.8–485.4 Ma
When animal life exploded into the fossil record.
MESOZOIC ERA
Cretaceous Period
145–66 Ma
The last act of the dinosaurs — and the day everything changed.
CENOZOIC ERA
Quaternary Period
2.58 Ma – present
Ice ages, giant mammals, and the rise of humans.
More periods are on the way.