Hidden Patterns in Geological Time Revealed
A new international study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters reveals a hidden, hierarchical pattern in the boundaries between geological epochs and periods.
Geological time scales may look like tidy timelines in textbooks, but their boundaries tell a much more chaotic story.
The research, led by Andrej Spiridonov from Vilnius University, shows that these time boundaries cluster in a way that reflects Earth's system's deepest fluctuations, with the planet's variability saturating at a half-billion years.
- The study was carried out by an international group of researchers, including Prof. Shaun Lovejoy and Rhisiart Davies from McGill University.
- The findings could reshape how we understand our planet's past and its possible futures.
Author's summary: Study reveals hidden patterns in geological time.