The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pЄ) is the earliest 4.06 billion years of Earth's history and before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian (colored green on the right) is a supereon that is subdivided into three eons (Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic) of the geologic time scale. It spans from the formation of Earth about 4.6 billion years ago (Ga) to the beginning of the Cambrian Period, about 541 million years ago (Ma), when hard-shelled creatures first appeared in abundance. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the Phanerozoic eon, which is named after Cambria, the Latinised name for Wales, where rocks from this age were first studied. The Precambrian accounts for 88% of geologic time.