Geologic time: The age of the Earth
General Information Product
By: William L. Newman
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Abstract
The Earth is very old 4 1/2 billion years or more according to recent estimates. This vast span of time, called geologic time by earth scientists and believed by some to reach back to the birth of the Solar System, is difficult if not impossible to comprehend in the familiar time units of months and years, or even centuries. How then do scientists reckon geologic time, and why do they believe the Earth is so old? A great part of the secret of the Earth's age is locked up in its rocks, and man's centuries-old search for the key led to the beginning and nourished the growth of geologic science.
Suggested Citation
Newman, W.L., 1977, Geologic time: The age of the Earth: General Information Product, 20 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/70039222.
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Unnumbered Series |
| Title | Geologic time: The age of the Earth |
| Series title | General Information Product |
| DOI | 10.3133/70039222 |
| Year Published | 1977 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Government Printing Office |
| Publisher location | Washington, D.C. |
| Description | 20 p. |