How do you convey a sense of geologic time to the public? One option is to focus on the major events in the evolution our planet and its residents, and hang them on a washing line.

Most nonscientists are familiar with at least some of the major evolutionary events of our plant’s history. Virtually everyone knows about dinosaurs and that they lived a long time ago. But when did they live relative to the history of this planet?

Why not deploy a length of washing line, on which every inch (25.4mm) represents 20 million years and attached paper markers for all the significant events.

The origins of earth

Your washing line will need to be 18 feet, 11.5 inches (577.9cm) long. The first mark to be encountered on the rope denotes the origin of the earth; the oldest known rocks on the planet, from northwestern … Read More »