Earth and Environment Atlas

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Eras

Devonian

duh-VOH-nee-un
Also Known As Age of Fishes

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The Devonian is the fourth period of the Paleozoic Era, spanning about 419.62 to 358.86 million years ago. Jawed fish reached such diversity that the period is popularly called the Age of Fishes, while on land the first forests and free-sporing vascular plants spread widely; it closed with the Late Devonian extinction, one of the Big Five mass extinctions.

Facts
Rank
Period 1
Start (Million Years Ago)
419.62 1
Standard boundary age from the ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart; not independently re-dated by this atlas.
End (Million Years Ago)
358.86 1
Standard boundary age from the ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart; not independently re-dated by this atlas.
Key Event
The Late Devonian extinction event, one of the traditional Big Five mass extinctions in Earth history, closed the period. 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Part Of

Paleozoic, Eras
Sources
1. Devonian (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction (fish diversity)
Quote, Introduction (fish diversity)
Fish, especially jawed fish, reached substantial diversity during this time, leading the Devonian to be called the Age of Fishes.
View the Source
1. Devonian (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLate Devonian extinction
Quote, Late Devonian extinction
Together, these are considered one of the 'Big Five' mass extinctions in Earth's history.
View the Source
1. Devonian (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction (land plants)
Quote, Introduction (land plants)
The first significant evolutionary radiation of life on land occurred during the Devonian, as free-sporing land plants began to spread across dry land.
View the Source
1. Devonian (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationClassificationView the Source
1. Devonian (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationTimespan (start)View the Source
1. Devonian (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationTimespan (end)View the Source
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