Paleozoic Era

Paleozoic Time Span

• Date range: 541 million years ago to 251.9 million years ago
• Length: 289.1 million years (0.64% of geologic time)
• Geologic calendar: November 19–December 12 (23 days)

Introduction

During the Paleozoic Era (541 to 251.9 million years ago), fish diversified and marine organisms were very abundant. In North America, the Paleozoic is characterized by multiple advances and retreats of shallow seas and repeated continental collisions that formed the Appalachian Mountains. Common Paleozoic fossils include trilobites and cephalopods, as well as insects and ferns. The greatest mass extinction in Earth's history ended this era.

Paleozoic Resources

The Paleozoic Era is further divided in to seven periods/sub-periods: the Cambrian, the Ordovician, the Silurian, the Devonian, the Mississippian, the Pennsylvanian, the Permian. A few examples of NPS resources in each time Period are highlighted below, from youngest to oldest.

Paleozoic "Ancient Animal Life" Coloring Pages

Paleozoic Era—Prehistoric Life...

14 Images

Individual coloring book pages for the Paleozoic Era. Also available in the Prehistoric Life in the National Parks Coloring Book.

• Prehistoric Life in the National Parks Coloring Book

Visit—Paleozoic Parks

Every park contains some slice of geologic time. Below, we highlight selected parks associated with Paleozoic Era. This is not to say that a particular park has only rocks from the specified period. Rather, rocks in selected parks exemplify a certain event or preserve fossils or rocks from a certain geologic age.

• Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument (ALFL), Texas—[ALFL Geodiversity Atlas] [ALFL Park Home] [ALFL npshistory.com]

• Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (BISO), Kentucky and Tennessee—[BISO Geodiversity Atlas] [BISO Park Home] [BISO npshistory.com]

• Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area (BICA), Montana and Wyoming—[BICA Geodiversity Atlas] [BICA Park Home] [BICA npshistory.com]

• Blue Ridge Parkway (BLRI), North Carolina and Virginia—[BLRI Geodiversity Atlas] [BLRI Park Home] [BLRI npshistory.com]

• Buffalo National River (BUFF), Arkansas—[BUFF Geodiversity Atlas] [BUFF Park Home] [BUFF npshistory.com]

• Canyonlands National Park (CANY), Utahk—[CANY Geodiversity Atlas] [CANY Park Home] [CANY npshistory.com]

• Carlsbad Caverns National Park (CAVE), New Mexico—[CAVE Geodiversity Atlas] [CAVE Park Home] [CAVE npshistory.com]

• Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (CHOH), West Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland—[CHOH Geodiversity Atlas] [CHOH Park Home] [CHOH npshistory.com]

• Chickasaw National Recreation Area (CHIC), Oklahoma—[CHIC Geodiversity Atlas] [CHIC Park Home] [CHIC npshistory.com]

• Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (CUGA), Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee—[CUGA Geodiversity Atlas] [CUGA Park Home] [CUGA npshistory.com]

• Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CUVA), Ohio—[CUVA Geodiversity Atlas] [CUVA Park Home] [CUVA npshistory.com]

• Death Valley National Park (DEVA), California, Nevada—[DEVA Geodiversity Atlas] [DEVA Park Home] [DEVA npshistory.com]

• Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (DEWA), New Jersey & Pennsylvania—[DEWA Geodiversity Atlas] [DEWA Park Home] [DEWA npshistory.com]

• Denali National Park (DENA), Alaska—[DENA Geodiversity Atlas] [DENA Park Home] [DENA npshistory.com]

• Dinosaur National Monument (DINO), Colorado and Utah—[DINO Geodiversity Atlas] [DINO Park Home] [DINO npshistory.com]

• Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (GAAR), Alaska—[GAAR Geodiversity Atlas] [GAAR Park Home] [GAAR npshistory.com]

• George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP), Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia—[GWMP Geodiversity Atlas] [GWMP Park Home] [GWMP npshistory.com]

• Glacier Bay National Park (GLBA), Alaska—[GLBA Geodiversity Atlas] [GLBA Park Home] [GLBA npshistory.com]

• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (GLCA), Arizona and Utah—[GLCA Geodiversity Atlas] [GLCA Park Home] [GLCA npshistory.com]

• Grand Canyon National Park (GRCA), Arizona—[GRCA Geodiversity Atlas] [GRCA Park Home] [GRCA npshistory.com]

• Grand Teton National Park (GRTE), Wyoming—[GRTE Geodiversity Atlas] [GRTE Park Home] [GRTE npshistory.com]

• Great Basin National Park (GRBA), Nevada—[GRBA Geodiversity Atlas] [GRBA Park Home] [GRBA npshistory.com]

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM), Tennessee and North Carolina—[GRSM Geodiversity Atlas] [GRSM Park Home] [GRSM npshistory.com]

• Guadalupe Mountains National Park (GUMO), Texas—[GUMO Geodiversity Atlas] [GUMO Park Home] [GUMO npshistory.com]

• Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (HAFE), Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia—[HAFE Geodiversity Atlas] [HAFE Park Home] [HAFE npshistory.com]

• Jewel Cave National Monument (JECA), South Dakota—[JECA Geodiversity Atlas] [JECA Park Home] [JECA npshistory.com]

• Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument (KAWW), Maine—[KAWW Geodiversity Atlas] [KAWW Park Home] [KAWW npshistory.com]

• Kobuk Valley National Park (KOVA), Alaska—[KOVA Geodiversity Atlas] [KOVA Park Home] [KOVA npshistory.com]

• Lake Clark National Park (LACL), Alaska—[LACL Geodiversity Atlas] [LACL Park Home] [LACL npshistory.com]

• Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAKE), Nevada and Arizona—[LAKE Geodiversity Atlas] [LAKE Park Home] [LAKE npshistory.com]

• Mammoth Cave National Park (MACA), Kentucky—[MACA Geodiversity Atlas] [MACA Park Home] [MACA npshistory.com]

• Mississippi National River & Recreation Area (MISS), Minnesota—[MISS Geodiversity Atlas] [MISS Park Home] [MISS npshistory.com]

• Natchez Trace Parkway (NATR), Alabama, Mississippi & Tennessee—[NATR Geodiversity Atlas] [NATR Park Home] [NATR npshistory.com]

• Natural Bridges National Monument (NABR), Utah—[NABR Geodiversity Atlas] [NABR Park Home] [NABR npshistory.com]

• New River Gorge National River (NERI), West Virginia—[NERI Geodiversity Atlas] ]NERI Park Home] [NERI npshistory.com]

• Noatak National Preserve (NOAT), Alaska—[NOAT Geodiversity Atlas] [NOAT Park Home] [NOAT npshistory.com]

• Obed Wild and Scenic River (OBED), Tennessee—[OBED Geodiversity Atlas] [OBED Park Home] [OBED npshistory.com]

• Ozark National Scenic Riverways (OZAR), Missouri—[OZAR Geodiversity Atlas] [OZAR Park Home] [OZAR npshistory.com]

• Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument (PARA), Arizona—[PARA Geodiversity Atlas] [PARA Park Home] [PARA npshistory.com]

• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (PIRO), Michigan—[PIRO Geodiversity Atlas] [PIRO Park Home] [PIRO npshistory.com]

• Prince William Forest Park (PRWI), Virginia—[PRWI Geodiversity Atlas] [PRWI Park Home] [PRWI npshistory.com]

• Rock Creek Park (ROCR), Washington D.C.—[ROCR Geodiversity Atlas] [ROCR Park Home] [ROCR npshistory.com]

• Russell Cave National Monument (RUCA), Alabama—[RUCA Geodiversity Atlas] [RUCA Park Home] [RUCA npshistory.com]

• Saguaro National Park (SAGU), Arizona—[SAGU Geodiversity Atlas] [SAGU Park Home] [SAGU npshistory.com]

• Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (SACR), Minnesota and Wisconsin—[SACR Geodiversity Atlas] [SACR Park Home] [SACR npshistory.com]

• Shenandoah National Park (SHEN), Virginia—[SHEN Geodiversity Atlas] [SHEN Park Home] [SHEN npshistory.com]

• Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (TAPR), Kansas—[TAPR Geodiversity Atlas] [TAPR Park Home] [TAPR npshistory.com]

• Timpanogos Cave National Monument (TICA), Utah—[TICA Geodiversity Atlas] [TICA Park Home] [TICA npshistory.com]

• Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River (UPDE), New York and Pennsylvania—[UPDE Geodiversity Atlas] [UPDE Park Home] [UPDE npshistory.com]

• Walnut Canyon National Monument (WACA), Arizona—[WACA Geodiversity Atlas] [WACA Park Home] [WACA npshistory.com]

• Whiskeytown-Trinity-Shasta National Recreation Area (WHIS), California—[WHIS Geodiversity Atlas] [WHIS Park Home] [WHIS npshistory.com]

• Wind Cave National Park (WICA), South Dakota—[WICA Geodiversity Atlas] [WICA Park Home] [WICA npshistory.com]

• Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (WRST), Alaska—[WRST Geodiversity Atlas] [WRST Park Home] [WRST npshistory.com]

• Yellowstone National Park (YELL), Idaho, Montana, Wyoming—[YELL Geodiversity Atlas] [YELL Park Home] [YELL npshistory.com]

• Yukon-Charley Rivers National Park (YUCH), Alaska—[YUCH Geodiversity Atlas] [YUCH Park Home] [YUCH npshistory.com]

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Geologic Time

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Fossils Through Geologic Time—Site Index

Fossils Through Geologic Time

> Ceonzoic

• Quaternary: 2.58 to 0 MYA

• Neogene: 23.0 to 2.58 MYA

• Paleogene: 66.0 to 23.0 MYA

> Mesozoic

• Cretaceous: 145.0 to 66.0 MYA

• Jurassic: 201.3 to 145.0 MYA

• Triassic: 251.9 to 201.3 MYA

> Paleozoic

• Permian: 298.9 to 251.9 MYA

• Pennsylvanian: 323.2 to 298.9 MYA

• Mississippian: 358.9 to 323.2 MYA

• Devonian: 419.2 to 358.9 MYA

• Silurian: 443.8 to 419.2 MYA

• Ordovician: 485.4 to 443.8 MYA

• Cambrian: 541 to 485.4 MYA

> Precambrian

• Proterozoic: 2.5 Billion to 541 MYA