Hadean Eon

HADEAN EON                                                            4.567 - 3.8 Billion Years Ago
This is the first of the three Eons which constitute the span of the 'Super-Eon' of the Precambrian. The name Haean itself, refers to the Greek God, Hades, ruler of the Underworld (Hell essentially) Therefore, the reference to the 'underworld', in itself refers to what we believe the conditions and features of this Eon were like - hellish and hostile. Technically this mysterious Eon of time shrouded in uncertainty, began 4.567 Billion Years Ago, not quite 4.6 Billion. There are very few geological traces from this epically old time. The most significant material evidence from this time are the Zircon crystal forms, which date to 4.4 Billion Years Ago - very close to what we believe the Earth to be in age. Hadean rocks have been found in Western Greenland, Western Canada and the Jack Hills region of Western Australia, in the 20th Century. The oldest formations are of those in Western Australia. We most certainly have much more to learn about this time, most far gone by in Earth's longevious existence. As the oldest Eon, the Hadean Eon predates most of the geological record however.

During the Hadean Eon, the Solar System was forming out of gas and dust, and our sun begins to emit light and heat for the first time. Earth begins to take shape, yet is bombarded by meteors and other galactic debris in great showers. This colossal series of impacts takes place during the first half-billion years of Earth, thus rendering the planet entirely uninhabitable.

The Hadean Eon The Archaean Eon The Proterozoic Eon The Phanerozoic Eon The Palaeozoic Era The Cambrian Period The Ordovician Period The Silurian Period The Devonian Period The Carboniferous Period The Permian Period The Mesozoic Era The Triassic Period The Jurassic Period The Cretaceous Period The Cenozoic Era The Tertiary Period The Palaeocene Epoch The Eocene Epoch The Oligocene Epoch The Miocene Epoch The Pliocene Epoch The Quaternary Period The Pleistocene Epoch The Holocene Epoch