Posted by
Rural Anorak on Thursday, July 10, 2008 9:26:08 AM
It is accepted by most people that the Earth is somewhere in the neighborhood of 4.5 BILLION years old. The universe is between 12 and 18 BILLION years old, depending on which way the telescope is pointed. These are large numbers, way beyond what most people deal with on a daily basis. I want to focus in on just the age of the Earth.
At 4.5 BILLION years old, the planet has experienced many things. The continents have shifted around from one large land mass, called Pangea, to the seven smaller landmasses we recognize today. I'd call that change. I think that as the continents shifted there were alterations in the local evnironments. Some of these alterations were ultimately beneficial to life as it existed and exists on the planet. However, there were, I'm sure those changes that were not beneficial. Guess what? The planet is still here. Earth still rotates on its axis and still revolves around the Sun. And one more thing, the continents are still moving.
Let's move to a smaller time scale; not in BILLIONS of years, but in MILLIONS of years. For a period of time from about 245 MILLION years ago to 65 MILLION years ago (a period of 220 MILLION years) the dinosaurs were the dominant creatures. Where are they now? Their skeletons are in museums because 65 MILLION years ago a very large chunk of matter smashed into the planet. Guess what? That wasn't the first large impact on the planet. Guess what else? The Earth is still here.
Let's move on the more recent times. Approximately 10,000 years ago, there was ice extending from the poles. North America was covered to a point south of the present Great Lakes. Since that time the Earth has warmed to such an extent that the ice retreated back toward the poles. Everyone who has lake front property along Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Ontario and Erie should all be thankful for this warming trend, because without it, there would be no Great Lakes.
I realize that I've been rather simplistic in these examples. My point was to show that there is an evironmental truth that is being overlooked. Earth changes. This planet has done wonderful things before humans gained the ability to appreciate and describe her beauty. Earth will continue. The environment will continue. Will it remain as we see it today? Who knows, probably not because that is what the Earth does: It changes.