Geology as Diversion

It seemed like a good idea – a way to distance myself from the election campaign – to read geology books. I figured that from the perspective of geological time, the election would seem far away from me, an insignificant blip in the history of Earth.

I consulted my geologist neighbor Greg about what I should read. He recommended John McPhee’s several books about geology. Assembling California and Basin and Range were available at the library, so that’s what I chose to read.

At first it was frustrating because of the complex argot, so I was constantly looking up words in a dictionary. Then it became fascinating and my vision of Earth changed to include its active depths and innards that keep a slow boil going all the time. Stuff bubbles up as molten rock. When it cools and hardens, it is called igneous rock.

When I went to Maine I could identify the rocks in this cliff – basalt. Basalt is a dark, fine-grained volcanic rock that is formed when magma is extruded near or at the earth's surface. Magma is molten rock surging upward from deep inside Earth. This basalt has weathered to a lighter color.

At the beach the day before, Carol loosened a flake of fresher basalt for me to have as a keepsake.

So I enjoyed reading about geology and being able to identify some rocks, but now I'm back home and I’ve come to the part of Basin and Range where McPhee describes the time lines and divisions that geologists have identified and named. It is incredibly complex and covers many millions of years. Geologists know that Earth was formed at least 4.3 billion years ago, but much of that history is unknown.

In that time Earth’s surface has changed again and again. Oceans have formed and disappeared or morphed into different shapes. Mountain ranges have risen, eroded away and new ones risen in their place. Land masses have split apart, drifted, and joined to other land masses. Many life forms have appeared, evolved and become extinct. It has been tumultuous! 

Last night, shortly before I fell asleep I read the geologists’ explanation of geological time which condenses all of Earth's time into a year. In that analogy human beings show up on Earth at two minutes before midnight on December 31.

Well, I guess the election didn’t really matter that much in, as they say, “the greater scheme of things.”

But honestly, thinking in geological time makes me feel ill. The implications of geology for homo sapiens are evident. It is the same experience I had as a little girl when I thought about the universe. I would become dizzy and have to put my head down on my desk. I decided right then never to think deeply about the universe again, and that’s about where I am now, seventy years later, with regard to geological time. I may not finish reading Basin and Range.

Copyright 2012 by Shirley Domer