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 geochro ...

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

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

. This proposal defines the Chaotian eon as a

Solar System The Solar SystemCapitalization 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 "Sola ...

-wide time between the initiation of planetary formation and the hypothesised collision of the trojan

dwarf planet A dwarf planet is a small planetary-mass object that is in direct orbit around the Sun, massive enough to be hydrostatic equilibrium, gravitationally rounded, but insufficient to achieve clearing the neighbourhood, orbital dominance like the ...

Theia with the proto-Earth. A revised proposal in 2012 suggested the Chaotian as the first era of the Hadean representing the time between the formation of the Solar System c. 4.567 Ga and the oldest preserved crustal material on Earth, a detrital zircon c. 4.404 Ga from the Jack Hills of the Narryer terrane in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. , neither proposal had been adopted or officially ratified by the International Union of Geological Sciences.

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