OK, I know I said
but, this is it (reallyOriginally Posted by SandPiper
)
Exactly. The geologic timetable is constructed with some foundational assumption as to the time required for geologic formation. Otherwise, it's not demonstrable (i.e. we must estimate deposition rates etc. involved based on modern conditions and speculation about past conditions...we couldn't "watch" sedimentation occur for a million years, and then measure). There must be some beginning assumption, simply because of the timespans involved with geology; it's difficult to conduct an experiment knowing the conclusion is millions of years in the future. Dude.
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