Deep Time: Discovering an Ancient Earth

This module begins with a look at science in general, how it works and where it came from, then addresses the historical beginnings of geology and how it pointed towards an earth of immense age and Deep Time. The module wraps up with an introduction to rock and mineral age determination using both qualitative and isotopic methods.

This module takes a highlight trip through ancient origins, from the universe to stars and planets, then to Earth's first oceans, atmosphere, crust, and life. It includes a deep dive into the Precambrian basement of North America, using rock and mineral analysis, radiometric dating, seismology, and kimberlitic diamond-pipe eruptions to understand how continents grow through time.

This module covers North America's story from the Precambrian into the Phanerozoic Eon, reviewing rocks and the rock cycle. It includes a visit to the Great Unconformity, examines marine waters washing onto and off the land as climate and tectonics drove sea-level changes, and explores the rise of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains during Pangea's formation. Contains the first two of three video field trips to Flagstaff Mountain near Boulder, Colorado.

Moving into the final phase of Earth history in the Rocky Mountains during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras, this module reveals with exceptional detail the location and timing of mountain uplifts, ocean incursions, changing climate, and the fossil record. The modern Rocky Mountains are explained as a consequence of uplift, erosion, and renewed uplift with glacial sculpting. The module concludes by recognizing science as carrying responsibility for assessing truth and evaluating claims. Includes the third and final video field trip to Flagstaff Mountain near Boulder, Colorado.