Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
Slowly, you float down a little way, and suddenly you see Gaia from space as she
was just before the industrial revolution, with her swirling mantle of white clouds,
her ample blue ocean and her continents spread far and wide on the surface of
her lustrous spherical body. Great biomes cover the land with rich, diverse veget-
ation. As a bird, you fly through each biome in turn, sensing the massive abund-
ance of living beings that dwell in each one. As a fish, you plunge into the ocean
and sense the amazing diversity of life in that great watery realm.
A knowing comes to you that Gaia now hosts more species then ever before. You
sense how sublimely sophisticated she is at handling the chemical elements and
wonder at her inordinate skill at dealing with the brightening sun. You notice how
the webs of relationship that weave together her life forms and her rocks, atmo-
sphere and water are more tightly coupled now than ever before. It is clear to you
that Gaia has reached the pinnacle of her evolution.
Now plunge deeper into the well of time, back 100 million years ago, to the time
of the Age of Reptiles. Once again you see Gaia from space, but now her contin-
ents are closer together, and the Atlantic Ocean is much smaller. Diving into the
vegetation, you are stunned to see how it has changed. There are giant tree ferns
with immense centipede-like leaves, tall cycads and primitive flowering plants. In
amongst the tree ferns are giant dinosaurs moving around with unexpected ease,
and on the ground you spy familiar-looking ants and termites. In the air, small
dragonflies dash and race.
Plunging deeper into the well of time, you reach 250 million years ago—the Age
of Amphibians. From space, you see only a single great continent straddling one
side of Gaia's face, reaching to the high latitudes on either side of the equator,
lush with plant growth. Now there are tall palm-like trees, and tall spiky horsetails
and seed ferns. You spy huge salamander-like amphibians and primitive reptiles
that lay leathery eggs in the warm sand of the ample river beaches. Giant dragon-
flies dart through the air, and cockroaches scuttle through the decaying vegeta-
tion.
You dive deeper into the well's velvety embrace, enjoying the sensation of sinking
into time, like falling asleep into a rich and multifaceted dream, until you reach
500 million years ago when some of Gaia's first multicellular beings made their
appearance. You notice how different she is now when seen from space. The con-
