Phanerozoic
Americannoun
adjective
adjective
noun
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The period of geologic time from about 540 million years ago to the present, including the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Eras. When this period of time was first defined, it was thought to coincide with the first appearance of life in the fossil record. It is now known that bacterial and other forms of life were present in the Precambrian Eon, and the Phanerozoic is understood to coincide with the appearance of life forms that evolved external skeletons.
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See Chart at geologic time
Etymology
Origin of Phanerozoic
1925–30; < Greek phaneró ( s ) manifest, visible + zo- + -ic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Our work also demonstrates a strong correlation between global temperature at CO2 concentrations across the Phanerozoic, highlighting the important role of this greenhouse gas in controlling Earth’s temperature."
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2024
Their models identify planets like Phanerozoic Earth as the most promising targets for finding life in the cosmos.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2023
The Phanerozoic eon is the most recent eon and represents time in which fossils are common, 541 million years ago to today.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017
Explain why ultramafic intrusions, like those of the Muskox Intrusion, are relatively common in Archean rocks, but rare in Phanerozoic rocks.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
Sometimes too you will see the term Phanerozoic used to describe the span encompassing the Cenozoic, Mesozoic, and Paleozoic eras.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
