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Geological History of Canada

Geological time looks at the history of the Earth on a broad scale. Much of what is known about this history was discovered by looking at rocks and fossils. Modern humans, or Homo sapiens, have only existed for around the past 315,000 years of the over 4.6-billion-year history of the earth. This is less than 0.01 per cent of Earth’s history.

Borealopelta

  1. 4.6 Billion Years Ago

    Precambrian 

    Beginning of the Precambrian

    The Precambrian began with the earth's formation and lasted around 4 billion years. The geological processes of the Precambrian saw the creation of the earth’s crust and the oceans. Life began on Earth during this period, going from the earliest single-celled organisms to early bacteria and algae (e.g., stromatolites) to the first multicellular organisms.

  2. 3.48 Billion Years Ago

    Precambrian 

    Earliest Known Life on Earth

    While there is some evidence of life on Earth as early as 4.1 billion years ago, 3.48-billion-year-old stromatolite fossils in western Australia are the oldest undisputed direct evidence of life on Earth.

  3. 3.18 Billion Years Ago

    Precambrian 

    Beginning of the Formation of the Supercontinent Arctica

    Arctica was one of the ancient continents that makes up much of what is now Canada, especially the Canadian Shield area in Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. This land mass was formed between 2.5 and 1.9 billion years ago but originated from several older Archaean microcontinents that came together. Some of the rocks in these microcontinents are as old as 3.18 billion years.

  4. 1.8 Billion Years Ago

    Precambrian 

    Formation of the Supercontinent Nena

    Around 1.8 billion years ago, several other microcontinents were welded to Arctica. This resulted in a new supercontinent known as Nena, which is an acronym for Northern Europe and North America.

  5. 1.3 Billion Years Ago

    Precambrian 

    Formation of the Supercontinent Rodinia

    Rodinia, another ancient supercontinent, began forming around 1.3 billion years ago when the Grenville microcontinent connected with Nena. These land masses coming together resulted in the formation of the Grenville Mountains. Some remnants of the Grenville Mountains remain visible in North America, such as in the Appalachian and Adirondack mountains of eastern North America. As Rodinia was taking shape, massive mountains comparable to the Himalayas today were forming elsewhere around the world.

  6. 1.1 Billion Years Ago

    Precambrian 

    Breakup of the Supercontinent Nena

    Between 1.1 and 1.0 billion years ago, a mid-continental rift formed in the Nena land mass as the continent nearly split. This 2,000 km long, 20 km deep chasm is now filled with intrusive, volcanic and sedimentary rocks. In Canada, the remains of this rift are found near Lake Superior.

  7. 700 Million Years Ago

    Precambrian 

    Breakup of the Supercontinent Rodinia

    Rodinia begins to break apart into smaller continents over millions of years. One of these continents that would later form Canada was Laurentia. Vast regions of Laurentia in what is now eastern Canada were covered by a shallow, warm ocean that was full of early marine life. This resulted in sedimentary deposits in the area, which are now known as the Paleozoic Cover Sequence or the Laurentian Platform. At this same time, over millions of years, the Grenville Mountains slowly eroded.

  8. 541 Million Years Ago

    Precambrian 

    End of the Precambrian

    Ends of supereons, eons, eras and periods are often marked by major changes in geology, climate or organism diversity, sometimes culminating in extinction events. The Precambrian eons account for about 90 per cent of the history of the Earth to date. These eons saw increasing amounts of oxygen in the atmosphere as early cyanobacteria began photosynthesis and much tectonic activity. The Precambrian ended with the evolution of the first animals.

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