Day 13: Thirty Days of Gratitude for Our Earth
It's so very cool that the layers of rock, embedded in the Earth, can tell a story of the history of our past. I love the way sediment deposits of sand and silt, form horizontal layers that harden into rocks over time. These rocks safeguard the fossil remains of once living organisms.
Year's ago, I went on a trip with the New York Paleontological Society. We spent the day fossil hunting at a quarry. It's quite exciting to crack open a rock and find the fossils hidden within. Rocks allow us a glimpse of the life forms who once walked, crawled, flew, and swam upon the Earth.
Recently, I went on a hike at a nearby river after a series of intense storms. Not only was I able to witness the destruction of the area hit by the overflowing river, but I was able to see the rock layers uncovered by the water's flow. It caused me to stop for a moment and take in the sight of our layered history.
When I find myself lucky enough to view the layers of Earth, as can easily be seen at the Grand Canyon, I feel as if I have journeyed back in time. I can almost touch the past, and time becomes an altered experience. I begin to think of what the world was like at the time of each layer. I wonder which layers faced an ice age or a major coating of volcanic dust? What caused the Earth to evolve during each period on view before me... and what new land masses were formed at that time?
I find it amazing, and a bit overwhelming, to think of the billions of years of Earth's history and all that is still to be uncovered within the protective layers of rock.
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