Lunar Geologic Timescale - Relationship To Earth's Geological Time Scale

Relationship To Earth's Geological Time Scale

The divisions of the lunar geological time scale are based on the recognition of a few convenient geomorphological markers. While these divisions are extremely useful for ordering geological events in a relative manner, it is important to realize that the boundaries do not imply any fundamental change of geological processes. Furthermore, as the oldest geological periods of the Moon are based exclusively on the times of individual impact events (in particular, Nectaris, Imbrium, and Orientale), these punctual events will most likely not correspond to any specific geological event on the other terrestrial planets, such as Mercury, Venus, Earth, or Mars.

Nevertheless, at least one notable scientific work has advocated using the lunar geological time scale to subdivide the Hadean eon of Earth's geological timescale (the Hadean eon is not officially recognized). In particular, it is sometimes found that the Hadean is subdivided into the Cryptic, Basin Groups 1-9, Nectarian, and Early Imbrian. This notation is not entirely consistent with the above lunar geological time scale in that the Cryptic and Basin Groups 1-9 (both of which are only informal terms that are not used in geological maps) comprise the Pre-Nectarian period.

Read more about this topic:  Lunar Geologic Timescale

Famous quotes containing the words relationship, earth, geological, time and/or scale:

    Harvey: Oh, you kids these days, I’m telling you. You think the only relationship a man and a woman can have is a romantic one.
    Gil: That sure is what we think. You got something better?
    Harvey: Oh, romance is very nice. A good thing for youngsters like you, but Helene and I have found something we think is more appropriate to our stage of life—companionship.
    Gil: Companionship? I’ve got a flea-bitten old hound at home who’ll give me that.
    Tom Waldman (d. 1985)

    The Indians knew that life was equated with the earth and its resources, that America was a paradise, and they could not comprehend why the intruders from the East were determined to destroy all that was Indian as well as America itself.
    Dee Brown (b. 1908)

    The crystal sphere of thought is as concentrical as the geological structure of the globe. As our soils and rocks lie in strata, concentric strata, so do all men’s thinkings run laterally, never vertically.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

    Then not only an old man, but also a drunkard, becomes a second time a child.
    Plato (c. 427–347 B.C.)

    The poet is the person in whom these powers are in balance, the man without impediment, who sees and handles that which others dream of, traverses the whole scale of experience, and is representative of man, in virtue of being the largest power to receive and to impart.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)