A MILLION OF YEARS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 165, 14 April 1916, Page 1 (Supplement)

A MILLION OF YEARS.

WHAT THIS LENGTH OF 11 ME REALLY MEAX9. Astronomers and geologists habitually deal in large numbers. It is utterly impossible to conceive <f a billion mile :,, ana even the familiar illustration of j railway train going so many miles ir. hour for so many years conveys a very vague idea. It is equally difficult to form ail ide;i. of the vast period of time with which geologists deal. What idea can man, who is limited to a hundred years, form of a million years? Professor Cioil tells us how a striking impression of such a lapse of time may be partially conveyed to the mind . '• Stretch a piece of paper 83ft. 4iu. long around the walls or a room somewhat over 20ft. square, recall the events of life to give some conception of a hundred years, and then consider that a mark one-tenth of an inch broad at one end of the paper represents the century, while the whole strip gives place for only a million years." The illustration is worth trying. An even more striking illustration may be seen in the works of Nat up" Could we stand upon the edge of gorge a mile and a half in depth, that, had been cut out of the solid rock by a tiny stream scarcely visible at th - bottom of this terrible abyss, and \ ero we informed that this little streamlet was able to wear off annually only onetenth of an inch from its rocky bed. what would our conception l>o of the prodigiaous length of time that this stream must have taken to excavrt-' the gorge ? We should certainly fee! startled on finding that the. stream had 1 performed this enormous amount of work in something less than a million j ears.