The Great Unconformity is one of geology's most mind-blowing puzzles. Across continents, rock layers sit directly on top of each other with a staggering 1.2 billion years completely missing between them. That's over a quarter of Earth's entire history wiped out by erosion. Researchers are still debating what caused such dramatic, worldwide loss of the geological record.
Great Unconformity: 1.2 Billion Years of Earth's History Erased
Key facts
- The Great Unconformity spans continents and wiped out 1.2 billion years of history
- Over a quarter of Earth's entire history was erased by erosion
- This geological gap raises questions about why human history would be more complete
- Rock layers sit directly on top of each other with massive chunks of time missing in between
Sources
nature.com
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