Earth Science impacts humans profoundly. The National Science Foundation has identified 9 big ideas to express the most important of these governing principles as “Big Ideas”. They are part of an educational effort by Earth Scientists to improve public understanding: The Earth Science Literacy Initiative. For the Keweenaw GeoElement we call “Lavas”, the most direct Big Idea is #2: Earth is 4.6 billion years old. This idea impacts all humans because it advances and clarifies the concept of Deep Time.http://www.earthscienceliteracy.orghttp://www.earthscienceliteracy.org/videodirectory/ESLP_Ch002_700Kbit_640x360.wmvhttp://serc.carleton.edu/quantskills/methods/quantlit/DeepTime.htmlshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2

It is true that much of the public is isolated from education in Geoscience or Earth Sciences. Yet this isolation needs to be eliminated if we are to understand the latest geological period of Earth History:  The Anthropocene.

Anthropocene Weblinks:

An important realization which focuses on big idea #9: Humans significantly alter Earth.

National Geographic

Smithsonian Inst


The Sixth Extinction: E Kolbert