Convert Megayears to Centuries
Convert Megayears (Ma) to Centuries (cent) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
cent = Ma × 10000
About Megayears
A megayear (1 Ma) = 10⁶ yr ≈ 3.156 × 10¹³ s - the timescale of geology and tectonic evolution. The K-Pg mass extinction at 66.0 Ma; Cambrian explosion ~538.8 Ma; Great Oxygenation Event ~2,400 Ma. Plate motion at 2-10 cm/yr = 200-1,000 km per Ma (Atlantic ~3,000 km wider since Pangaea rifting ~200 Ma ago). Background extinction rate measured in extinctions per million species-years. 1 Ma = 10⁶ yr.
About Centuries
A century = exactly 100 Gregorian years ≈ 3.156 × 10⁹ s. Standard unit of historical periodisation (the 20th century, the 18th-century Enlightenment). IPCC projects warming and sea-level rise on century timescales. Precession of the equinoxes advances ~1.39°/century, so zodiac constellations no longer match their named seasons. Ice-core and radiocarbon records are commonly displayed at century resolution. 1 century = 100 yr.
Quick Reference Table
| Megayears (Ma) | Centuries (cent) |
|---|---|
| 1 Ma | 10000 cent |
| 2 Ma | 20000 cent |
| 5 Ma | 50000 cent |
| 10 Ma | 100000 cent |
| 25 Ma | 250000 cent |
| 50 Ma | 500000 cent |
| 100 Ma | 1000000 cent |