History of Earth the late Paleozoic. The Mesozoic ("middle life") era lasted from 251 Ma to Ma. It is subdivided into the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. The era began with the Permian–Triassic extinction event, the most severe extinction event in the fossil record; 95% of the species on Earth died out. It ended with the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs.. The Cenozoic ("new life") era began at Ma, and is subdivided into the Paleogene, Neogene, and Quaternary periods. These three periods are further split into seven sub-divisions, with the Paleogene composed of The Paleocene, Eocene, and Oligocene, the Neogene
Geography of Switzerland term covers entire geological movements contributing to the of the Alps’ formation. A crystalline basement formed at the beginning of the Paleozoic era, between 540 and 360 millions years ago. Later, between 205 and 96 million years ago, the alpine ocean or Tethys Ocean formed between Eurasia and Africa. The ocean reached its maximum width at the end of Jurassic period, 135 million years ago. The collision between the Eurasian and African plates made it progressively disappear. This plate collision (still in progress) began 100 million years ago. The Alps resulted from this geological movement, the two plates creating folding