geologic time
2
7.3
- noun
- /ˌdʒiəˈlɒdʒɪk taɪm/
- Specialized
:
tiempo geológico
- Geologic time allows scientists to understand the long processes that have formed the Earth.
Examples
-
But if these specimens are separated by geologic time, where are the differences coming from and why?
Blog text (31) -
Through geologic time in the central Himalaya, warm, wet periods have alternated with cool, dry ones.
Academic text (1997) -
We think human time, but rocks think geologic time.
-
When they finished, the students explained how they organized the items according to geologic time.
Academic text (2004) -
Every layer of rock is another piece of geologic time.
Blog text (23) -
It is a cycle, and it has been going on throughout geologic time.
Blog text (29) -
When viewed from the standpoint of geologic time, what is humanity's ultimate contribution to the planet?
Blog text (32) -
I say the planet, even if terminal, may well have several million years left—a trifle in geologic time, but an eternity in human affairs.
Fiction book (2000) -
The use of MRI is highly advantageous for paleontologists, since it provides a nondestructive technique for examining fossils preserved over geologic time.
Academic text (2004) -
Perhaps, for instance, in the course of geologic time, the 'o'opu alamo'o's ancestors frequented a tidal pool that slowly became isolated from the ocean and was then uplifted by the volcanic forces of island building.
Academic text (2004)
Synonyms
2
7.2
Very long periods in Earth's past that last millions of years
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase 'geologic time' is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'geologic' (pertaining to Earth's geological processes) + 'time' = time periods relevant to geology. Its meaning is directly derivable from the constituents and follows a common compositional pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand it.
Etymology
The noun geologic time comes from the idea of reading the Earth's history in layers of rock, like pages of a very old book that show events long before people. So geologic time means 'very long periods of the Earth's past'.