01:460:100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Deep Time, James Hutton, Mudcrack

• School: Rutgers University
• Department: Geological Sciences
• Course: 01:460:100
• Professor: Mark Feigenson

Document Summary

Geologic time - discovering the magnitude of the earth"s past was a momentous discovery in the history of humanity. This discovery forever altered our perception of ourselves within nature and the universe. Understanding time permits assigning an age to . Deep time the immense span of geologic time. It is so vast that it is difficult for people to grasp. Human history is tiny compared to geologic time. Scientists began to find clues to an ancient earth. Observed marine fossils high in the apennines. Deduced that these were ancient animals in loose sediment. Lithification and uplift suggested long periods of time. First to articulate the principle of uniformitarianism. Of the abyss of time, hutton wrote: we find no vestige of a beginning; no prospect of an end. Principle of uniformitarianism - the present is the key to the past. processes seen today are the same as those of the past. Ancient mud cracks formed as mudcracks do today.