2. Geologic Timeline Today Cretaceous Period 100 million years ago Carboniferous Period 300 million years ago

4. The Earth has two major land masses. North America is on Pangea, near the equator. Gondwana, the other land mass, is near the South Pole. It is covered by ice.

5. Huge swamps of giant ferns and tree-like plants cover the land. It is hot, but temperatures are not too different than they are today.

6. Sharks are similar to the ones today. Many roam the vast seas. It is the “Golden Age of Sharks.”

7. Also in the sea are “crinoids”—a tiny marine invertebrate with a calcium carbonate shell.

8. Back to Timeline

9. World Population = 6,700,000,000

10. 80% of Americans live in urban areas.

11. Forest is cleared for buildings.

12. Americans consume a lot of energy…

13. …and materials.

14. This requires burning fossil fuels for electricity.

15. In Texas, 90% of electricity is generated by burning coal.

16. http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/geotime.html http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/photos/carboniferous-period/#carboniferous-landscape_869_600x450.jpg http://cas.bellarmine.edu/tietjen/Ec&Ev_Distance_learning/Hell/306mybp.jpg http://www.globalization101.org/uploads/Image/Energy/Picture-coal-formation.jpg http://veimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/2429/globe_east_540.jpg http://livehealthygreen.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/landfill.jpg http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=wb-wdi&met=sp_pop_totl&tdim=true&dl=en&hl=en&q=population+of+the+planet http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/census/cps2k.htm http://www.tflex.org/images/MetroRail.jpg http://maxx-construction.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/land_clearing.672902_std.JPG http://greenamherstproject.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/91641-004-842864b7.jpg http://www.lngpedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/coal-gasification.jpg Sources