Begin with Origin. Each chapter takes a few quiet seconds.
EIGHT WINDOWS INTO DEEP TIME
Earth through time
Drag the timeline. Turn the globe. Linger with each chapter, from the beginning to our shared home.
SCHEMATIC GLOBE · NOT A RECONSTRUCTION
Drag to turn
Chapter spacing is unequal in time: billions of years and recent millennia share this small timeline.
A long story, at your own pace.
How to read this Earth
All dates are approximate. The globe uses original, simplified continent polygons that move between schematic arrangements. Ancient coastlines, colors and ice extents are illustrations, not a scientific reconstruction. The timeline selects chapters rather than a uniform scale of years.
To complete one journey, explore all eight chapters in order during this visit. Each needs four visible seconds after you choose it. Your last chapter is saved; a new visit begins a new journey.
Learning notes are based on USGS, NASA, NOAA, National Park Service and Smithsonian resources.