subject: Prehistoric Territory of Modern Belarus [print this page] Prehistoric Prehistoric
More than 500 million years ago on the territory of modern Belarus rose mighty mountain ranges, parts of which the height and grandeur not inferior to today's Alps. Numerous volcanoes erupted and lava covered with ash all around for tens of kilometers. Earthquake sodragali ground.
But time passed. Water and wind destroyed the rock. The mountains have turned into the rocky lifeless desert. Land fell, and the sea, which had come into being, filling the ground. Then again, it gradually retreated.
Around 440 million years ago Earth peremeshcheniya cars slowed down and coastlines seas have become more stable. They took place in Minsk between the present and Molodechno, as well as west of Pinsk. The majority of the territory occupied by flat land. Its coast beginning overgrown first terrestrial plants.
Dinosaurs some 200 million years ago
Then the sea for a long time gone from the borders of Belarus, to a few million years flood her almost completely. At this time gospotstvoval warm and humid climate. In the small space between Brest and Grodno Rasley first forest of giant paparatnikov, in what may already have seen scorpions and centipedes. On the coasts and in the swamps inhabited by amphibious creature.
The critical period for the development of wildlife began 225 million years ago with the advent mezazoyskoy era. In tropical forests have prevoshodstvovali conifers - pines predecessors. Later, we launched raspostranyatstsa flower plants. Forest patches covered the grass.
Mezazoy - the era of almost unchallenged dominance of dinosaurs, which were the ancestors known lizards, snakes, turtles, crocodiles and even birds. They filled the earth and different variety of sizes, appearance and way of life - toothy predators and grazers giants footed and very moving and covered with thick armor unwieldy. The sky was full of flying dinosaurs with wings resembling present-day bats.
About 70 million years ago in Earth's history begins Cenozoic era. At this time the face of the planet is gradually taking the familiar contours. Approximately 45 million years ago, the sea finally left the teritory of Belarus, and since then it has become a continental margin.
Approximately 65 million years ago, around the globe in a short time nearly all the dinosaurs became extinct. Disappeared as well and about half the flowering plants. What happened? On account of this there are many theories. According to one of them - a huge meteorite hit the Earth, dramatically changed the climate on the planet for many thousands of years.
Finally, about 2 million years ago in the tropical zones of Africa has its first man, even though outwardly very similar to the monkey. He could walk straight on two feet, chopping stones and made them the first primitive tools, began to use fire and had relatively large brains.
