History of Earth - Silurian Period

		SILURIAN
		THE SILURIAN PERIOD 438 TO 406 Million Years Ago
		The Age of Arthropods Giant Sea Scorpions Dominate, but Fish Begin to Spread
" . . . I will scourge you with scorpions." - 1 Kings 12:11
Ordovician				Devonian
\|------\| Paleo-Geography
The period begins with major extinction event Euramerica forms as Gondwana drifts north Wide shallow seas as Ordovician glaciers melt Warm, greenhouse climate Most land is barren, lifeless desert
Life
Oceans teeming with life Arthropods flourish & diversify; giant sea scorpions (eurypterids) dominate (right) Primitive jawless fish flourish briefly Jawed bony fish appear (below) Life begins to creep onto land - primitive plants, ferns fungi and myriapoda lead the way
	Climatius (left) a Silurian acanthodian or 'spiny shark' was among the first fish with jaws. (Image: D. Paramonovs)
			A giant Eurypterid Sea Scorpion hunts Silurian fish (Image: John Sibbick, Nova Online)
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SOURCES: University of California Museum of Paleontology - Tour of Geologic Time Wikipedia - Geologic Time Scale Palaeos - Geological Time IInternational Commission on Stratigraphy By Corey Zak - CORZAK INTERACTIVE

THE SILURIAN PERIOD
438 TO 406 Million Years Ago