Chaotian (geology)
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| Chaotian | |
|---|---|
| Chronology | |
| Subdivisions | See text |
| Usage information | |
| Celestial body | Earth |
| Regional usage | Proposed subdivision of the Hadean eon |
| Definition | |
| Chronological unit | Era |
| Stratigraphic unit | Erathem |
| First proposed by | C. Goldblatt, K. J. Zahnle, N. H. Sleep, and E. G. Nisbet, 2010 |
| Lower boundary definition | Formation of the Earth |
| Upper boundary definition | Collision between Proto-Earth and the Protoplanet Theia |
The Chaotian is a proposed time division of the geologic time scale. First proposed in 2010[1] as an eon, it is named after Chaos, the primeval void in Greek mythology. This proposal defines the Chaotian eon as a Solar System-wide time between the initiation of planetary formation and the hypothesised collision of the trojan dwarf planet Theia with the proto-Earth.
A revised proposal in 2012[2] suggested the Chaotian as the first era of the Hadean representing the time between the formation of the Solar System c. 4.567 Ga[3] and the oldest preserved crustal material on Earth, a detrital zircon c. 4.404 Ga[4] from the Jack Hills of the Narryer terrane in Western Australia.
As of September 2023[update], neither proposal had been adopted or officially ratified by the International Union of Geological Sciences.[5]
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