前寒武纪
參考文獻

1 2  James Monroe and Reed Wicander. . Belmont:  Wadsworth Publishing Company. 1997.
↑  Pamela J.W. Gore. .   [12/6/06]. （原始内容存档于2007-01-02）.  请检查|access-date=中的日期值 (帮助)
↑  Simon A. Wilde, John W. Valley, William H. Peck, and Colin M. Graham. . Nature. 2001, 409: 175–178. doi:10.1038/35051550.
↑  Manfred Schidlowsk. . Nature. 1988, 333: 313 – 318. doi:10.1038/333313a0.
↑  Paleontologists often refer to faunal stage（英语：）s rather than geologic (geological) periods.  The stage nomenclature is quite complex. For an excellent time-ordered list of faunal stages, see .   [2006-03-19]. （原始内容存档于2006-02-11）.
↑  Dates are slightly uncertain with differences of a few percent between various sources being common. This is largely due to uncertainties in 放射性定年法 and the problem that deposits suitable for radiometric dating seldom occur exactly at the places in the geologic column where they would be most useful. The dates and errors quoted above are according to the 國際地層委員會 2004 time scale. Dates labeled with a * indicate boundaries where a 全球界线层型剖面和点位 has been internationally agreed upon: see List of Global Boundary Stratotype Sections and Points（英语：） for a complete list.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14  The 元古宙, 太古宙 and 冥古宙 are often collectively referred to as the Precambrian Time or sometimes, also the Cryptozoic.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12  Defined by absolute age (Global Standard Stratigraphic Age).
↑  The age of the oldest measurable craton, or continental crust, is dated to 3600–3800 Ma
↑  Though commonly used, the Hadean is not a formal eon and no lower bound for the Archean and Eoarchean have been agreed upon. The Hadean has also sometimes been called the Priscoan or the Azoic. Sometimes, the Hadean can be found to be subdivided according to the lunar geologic time scale. These eras include the Cryptic and Basin Groups (which are subdivisions of the Pre-Nectarian era), Nectarian, and Early Imbrian（英语：） units.
1 2 3 4  These unit names were taken from the Lunar geologic timescale and refer to geologic events that did not occur on Earth. Their use for Earth geology is unofficial.
↑  Bowring, Samuel A.; Williams, Ian S. . Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology. 1999, 134 (1): 3. Bibcode:1999CoMP..134....3B. doi:10.1007/s004100050465.  The oldest rock on Earth is the Acasta Gneiss（英语：）, and it dates to 4.03 Ga, located in the Northwest Territories of Canada.
↑   (PDF).   [2016-09-09]. （原始内容存档 (PDF)于2020-09-02）.
Valley, John W., William H. Peck, Elizabeth M. King (1999) Zircons Are Forever, The Outcrop for 1999, University of Wisconsin-Madison Wgeology.wisc.edu （页面存档备份，存于） – Evidence from detrital zircons for the existence of continental crust and oceans on the Earth 4.4 Gyr ago Accessed Jan. 10, 2006
Wilde S.A., Valley J.W., Peck W.H. and Graham C.M.（2001）Evidence from detrital zircons for the existence of continental crust and oceans on the Earth 4.4 Gyr ago. Nature, v. 409, pp. 175-178.
Wyche, S., D. R. Nelson and A. Riganti (2004) 4350–3130 Ma detrital zircons in the Southern Cross Granite–Greenstone Terrane, Western Australia: implications for the early evolution of the Yilgarn Craton, Australian Journal of Earth Sciences Volume 51 Zircon ages from W. Australia - Absract Accessed Jan. 10, 2006