Prehistoric World

by Dixon, Dougal

• ISBN13: 9780769642581
• ISBN10: 0769642586
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-04-04
• Publisher: Carson Dellosa Pub Co Inc

Summary

Just the Facts, Prehistoric Worldis a fact-by-fact look at the history of life on Earth, from the first organisims to the ascent of early human beings.Prehistoric Worldfeatures statistics on every geological period, with full-color maps, diagrams, photographs, and illustrations.Just the Factsprovides the most up-to-date information available, presented in a unique, easy-reference system of lists, fact boxes, tables, and charts.

Table of Contents

How to Use This Book	4	(6)
The Age of the Earth	6	(2)
Oldest minerals, rocks and meteorites
The Precambrian eon
Phanerozoic eon to present day
Major events
Previous estimates of the age of the Earth
Geological timescale
Plate Tectonics	8	(2)
Continental drift
Seafloor spreading
Another theory
Some speeds
Features of the Earth caused by plate movement
Cross section of the Earth
Rocks and Minerals	10	(2)
Types of rock
Sediments to sedimentary rock
Examples of igneous rock
Examples of sedimentary rock
The rock cycle
Examples of Metamorphic rock
Fossils	12	(2)
How fossils form
The uses of fossils
Before fossilization
During fossilization
Fossil assemblages
After fossilization
Precambrian	14	(2)
Precambrian world
Stromatolites
Vendian period
Snowball Earth
Animals of the Vendian
Early Paleozoic Era	16	(2)
Paleozoic era
Land animals
Cambrian
Ordovician
Silurian
The Burgess Shale
Calymene
Diplograptus
Devonian Period	18	(2)
The world in the Devonian period
Plants
The age of fish
Changing atmosphere
Old red sandstone
Cephalaspis
Eusthenopteron
Ichthyostega
Carboniferous Period	20	(2)
The world in the Carboniferous period
One period or two?
Formation of coal
Coal forest plants
Eogyrinus
Meganeura
Westlothiana
Permian Period	22	(2)
The world in the Permian period
Desert features
Reefs
Mesosaurus
Pareiasaurus
Dimetrodon
Triassic Period	24	(2)
The world in the Triassic period
Mesozoic era
Glossopteris
Meaning of the name
New plant life
Reasons for the mass extinction
Triassic climates
Triassic Life	26	(2)
Changing plants, changing animals
Hard-shelled egg: the key to land-living
Footprints
What makes a dinosaur?
Eoraptor
Thecodontosaurus
Eudimorphodon
Jurassic Period	28	(2)
The world in the Jurassic period
Mass extinctions
Meaning of the name
Typical Jurassic rocks
Two Jurassic rock sequences
Economic importance
Index fossils
Jurassic Life	30	(2)
The life on a continental shelf
Cryptoclidus
The fossils of the lagoons
Liopleurodon
Pterodactylus
Jurassic Dinosaurs	32	(2)
Dinosaur types
A dinosaur landscape
Stegosaurus
Diplodocus
Cretaceous Period	34	(2)
The world in the Cretaceous period
Diverse dinosaurs
Meaning of the name
Tylosaurus
Animals of air and sea
Elasmosaurus
Kronosaurus
Arambourgiana
Cretaceous Dinosaurs	36	(2)
Saltasaurus
Caudipteryx
Velociraptor
Tyrannosaurus
Therizinosaurus
Carnotaurus
Cretaceous Life	38	(2)
New plants
Varied habitats
Iguanodon
Parasaurolophus
Euoplocephalus
Triceratops
The Great Extinction	40	(2)
What caused the Great Extinction?
Diseases
Meteorite or comet strike
Changing climates
Volcanic activity
A combination of all of these
Winners and losers
Repenomamus
Early Tertiary Period	42	(2)
The world in the early Tertiary period
Plant and animal life
Meaning of the name
Mammal names
Brontotherium
Hyracotherium
Diatryma
Oxyaena
Late Tertiary Period	44	(2)
The world in the late Tertiary period
Phorusrhacos
The coming of grass
Deinotherium
Synthetoceras
Sivatherium
Cooling climate
Quaternary Period	46	(2)
The world in the Quaternary period
Causes of the Ice Age
Meaning of the name
Ages of the Quaternay
Glacial stages
Evidence of glaciation
Smilodon
Elephas Primigenius
Megatherium
Macrauchenia
The First Human Beings	48	(2)
When and where did human beings first appear?
Why did we stand upright?
Orrorin
Ardipithecus
Kenyanthropus
Australopithecus
The Genus Homo	50	(2)
Out of the cradle
The development of culture and civilization
Homo
Uncovering the Prehistoric World	52	(2)
Timeline of the History of Geology and Palaeontology
Some wrong deductions
Key Figures	54	(2)
Paleontology	56	(2)
Dinosaurs all around the world
Finding dinos
Excavation and transportation
In the lab
Dino displays
Museums with dinosaur collections
Glossary	58	(2)
Index	60