| Chapter | Location | Time | Epoch | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Plain, Alaska | 20,000 years ago | Pleistocene | Quaternary |
| 2 | Kanapoi, Kenya | 4 million years ago | Pliocene | Neogene |
| 3 | Gargano, Italy | 5 million years ago | Miocene | |
| 4 | Tinguiririca, Chile | 32 million years ago | Oligocene | Palaeogene |
| 5 | Seymour Island, Antarctica | 41 million years ago | Eocene | |
| 6 | Hell Creek, Montana, USA | 66 million years ago | Palaeocene | |
| 7 | Yixian, Liaoning, China | 125 million years ago | (not stated in text) | Cretaceous |
| 8 | Swabia, Germany | 155million years ago | Jurassic | |
| 9 | Madygen, Kyrgyzstan | 225 million years ago | Triassic | |
| 10 | Moradi, Nigeria | 253 million years ago | Permian | |
| 11 | Mazon Creek, Illinois, USA | 309 million years ago | Carboniferous | |
| 12 | Rhynie, Scotland | 407 million years ago | Devonian | |
| 13 | Yaman-Kasy, Russia | 435 million years ago | Silurian | |
| 14 | Soom, South Africa | 444 million years ago | Ordovician | |
| 15 | Chengjian, Yunnan, China | 520 million years ago | Cambrian | |
| 16 | Ediacara Hills, Australia | 555 million years ago | Ediacaran |
