early Geologists, history's mysteries, time, and geology

Mythology

earth is 4.54 billion yrs old

evidence fossils were prized by Neanderthals' 30,000 yr/ago for magical powers

greeks first to try explain fossils

neptunism

Abraham gottlob werner (1749-1817)

naturalist at his time believed ALL layered rock were deposited by water

plutonism

some people were convinced igneous rocks were once molten lava

James Hutton (father of geology)(1726-1797)

Uniformitarianism

observation of earths processes and result apply to the past

James Hutton and Charles Lyell formalized the concept

Hutton's idea did not have major support until Lyell's work

actualism

geologist moved away from uniformitarianism

both sudden and gradual changes are important

emphasized gradual change and would exclude sudden change

charles lyell

published principles of geology(1830)

championed for uniformity processes in frequency and intensity

described geologic features cutting across rock is younger than rock itself

nicholas stone

father of stratigraphy

fossils formed at same time as rock

recognized not all rock layers had formed at same time

william smith

english engineer

fossils occur in predictable vertical relation to another

created first geologic map based largely in part on fossils

geologic eons

hadean 4.6-4.0 GA

Archean 4.0-2.5 GA

Proterozoic 2.5-0.54 Ga

phanerozoic 0.54 to present

mesozoic 252-66ma

Paleozoic 541-252 ma

cenozoic 66ma-prsent

Krakatoa

Aug 1883

caused red sunsets in europe

heard 3000 miles away

cooled global climate .5C for several years

santorini/thera 1645-1500BC

Africa/Eurasians plate convergence

between greece and crete

3x-4x Krakatoa

east africa rift 3.5Ma

wet volcanic ash preserved two Australopithecus like lucy

walking side by side and upright

tracks showed bipedalism before the advent of toolmaking