The Chaotian is a proposed time division of the

geologic time scale The geologic time scale, or geological time scale, (GTS) is a representation of time based on the rock record of Earth. It is a system of chronological dating that uses chronostratigraphy (the process of relating strata to time) and geochr ...

. First proposed in 2010 as an eon, it is named after Chaos, the primeval void in

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities o ...

. This proposal defines the Chaotian eon as a

solar system The Solar System Capitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar ...

wide time between the initiation of planetary formation and the hypothesised collision of the Protoplanet Theia with the proto-Earth. A revised proposal in 2012 suggested the Chaotian as the first era of the

Hadean The Hadean ( ) is a geologic eon of Earth history preceding the Archean. On Earth, the Hadean began with the planet's formation about 4.54 billion years ago (although the start of the Hadean is defined as the age of the oldest solid materia ...

representing the time between the formation of the solar system c. 4.567 Ga and the oldest preserved crustal material on Earth, a c. 4.404 Ga detrital zircon from the

Jack Hills The Jack Hills are a range of hills in Mid West Western Australia. They are best known as the source of the oldest material of terrestrial origin found to date: Hadean zircons that formed around 4.39 billion years ago. These zircons have enable ...

of the Narryer Terrane in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

. neither proposal had been adopted or officially ratified by the

International Union of Geological Sciences The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) is an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the field of geology. About The IUGS was founded in 1961 and is a Scientific Union member of the Int ...

Subdivisions

The original proposal in 2010 divided the Chaotian into two eras and four periods. No numerical upper age limits were provided, only the younger age limit of ~4.5 Ga for the boundary between the proposed Chaotian and Hadean boundary. The revised proposal in 2012 did not subdivide the proposed Chaotian era (of the Hadean eon) into periods.

References

Geological eons Geological eras Hadean {{Geochronology-stub

Subdivisions

See also

References