GEOLOGICAL PERIODS

GEOLOGICAL PERIODS

Here is a useful mnemonic for remembering the Earth's 15 geological time periods in descending order of age:

" Camels often sit down carefully - perhaps their joints creak? Early oiling might prevent permanent rheumatism. "

(*¹Cambrian, Ordovician,
Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian,
Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous,
*²Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene, *³Recent).

*¹omits pre-Cambrian (570+ million yrs ago).
*²includes [Pala]eocene! (65- million yrs ago).
*³Recent is also Holocene (10,000- yrs ago).

Gareth Morris (a research student at Lancaster University) suggests that if you add the word "pregnant" to the front of the mnemonic (ie. Pregnant Camels...), it takes into account the Pre-Cambrian age.