David H. Koch Hall of Fossils - Deep Time

Explore the History of Life on Earth 

Discover how our planet’s distant past—starting 4.6 billion years ago—is connected to the present and informs our future. 

Travel through ancient ecosystems, witness the evolution of planet and animal life, and get up close to some 700 fossil specimens, including a palm tree from Alaska, a fight to the death between a Tyrannosaurus and a Triceratops, early reptiles and mammals, and the woolly 
mammoth. 

Find out how Earth and its climate have changed over the last 500 million years and how those changes affected the evolution of life. Unlike past extinction and warming events, human activities are driving Earth’s rapidly changing climate today. Learn how to interpret the scientific evidence and see how the choices we make today will live far beyond us, in deep time. 

Online Resources

• Read or listen to visual descriptions of the Deep Time Fossil Hall with our Audio Description App available at the Apple Store 
• Learn about the Deep Time FossiLab
• Explore teaching resources about extinction
• Discover Paleontology resources for teachers, parents, and students 
• Explore a 3D digital version of our Triceratops
• Explore a 3D digital version of our Mammoth
• Visit the Deep Time Fossil Hall from the comfort of your own home through our Virtual Tour.