Question

which of the following lists the correct order of the geologic eras? most recent - mesozoic - cenozoic - paleozoic oldest most recent - mesozoic - precambrian - paleozoic oldest most recent - cenozoic - mesozoic - paleozoic oldest

Explanation:

To determine the correct order of geologic eras, we recall that the geologic time scale has eras in the order (oldest to most recent) of Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and then Cenozoic. The Precambrian is a supereon that includes time before the Paleozoic. So we analyze each option:

• First option: Order is Mesozoic (most recent? No), Cenozoic, Paleozoic (oldest? No) – incorrect.
• Second option: Order is Mesozoic, Precambrian (Precambrian is older than Paleozoic, so this order is wrong), Paleozoic – incorrect.
• Third option: Order is Cenozoic (most recent), Mesozoic, Paleozoic (oldest) – this matches the correct order of Paleozoic (oldest), Mesozoic, Cenozoic (most recent) when reversed from oldest to most recent (the list here is from most recent to oldest: Cenozoic (most recent), then Mesozoic, then Paleozoic (oldest)).

Answer:

Most recent

• Cenozoic
• Mesozoic
• Paleozoic

Oldest