Phanerozoic Period of geologic time comprising the Palaeozoic Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Eras, It began approximately 570 Ma ago at the start of the Cambrian Period and is marked by the accumulation of sediments containing the remains of animals with mineralized skeletons. Although the name is derived from the Greek phaneros meaning ‘visible’ and zoion meaning ‘animal’, the term is no longer used in the sense of ‘visible life’, but merely defines the base of the Cambrian.

Phanerozoic The period of geological time that comprises the Palaeozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Eras. It began 590 Ma ago at the end of the Precambrian and is marked by the accumulation of sediments containing the remains of animals with mineralized skeletons. The name means the period of ‘visible or obvious life’, but is no longer used in this sense, merely defining the base of the Cambrian.

Phanerozoic The most recent eon of geological time, represented by rock strata containing clearly recognizable fossils. It comprises the Palaeozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras and has extended for about 570 million years from the beginning of the Cambrian period. Compare Proterozoic.

Phanerozoic The period of geological time that comprises the Palaeozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Eras. It began 590 Ma ago at the end of the Precambrian and is marked by the accumulation of sediments containing the actual remains of plant structures. The name is derived from the Greek phaneros, meaning ‘visible’ and zoe, meaning ‘life’.

Phanerozoic The period of geological time that comprises the Palaeozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Eras. It began 542 Ma ago at the end of the Precambrian and is marked by the accumulation of sediments containing the remains of animals with mineralized skeletons. The name means the period of ‘visible’ or ‘obvious life’.