Geologic Time & Ancient Environments

Personal Timeline

by Todd A. Thompson

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It is a common practice in geology to try to explain the vastness of the Earth's geologic time by referring to common objects. Some examples are the length of a football field, distance across the country, or time in a day. My favorite is carried around by all of us, and it is the distance from one hand to the other with the arms outstretched. With a little memorization, you can carry this time line around with you.

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