William Smith Confirmed

In a previous post last December about a trip to see maps at the Newberry Museum in Chicago, I noted the huge "Map that changed the world," created by William Smith, arguably the world's first geologist. He was the first not only to describe the concept of strata, but also the "uplifting" of these strata, explaining the way in which each of these strata could appear in different places, and at different altitudes.

Looking down, and forward, 50 million years in time
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On our way to California for Matt's (aka John) wedding, we spent the night in Green River, UT. As one continues west on I-70 out of Green River, the road winds upward for 7 or 8 miles, gaining over 1000' in altitude. Despite that gain in altitude, you are traveling over progressively older and older earth, until at the top of the climb, you have gone back 50,000,000 years geologically, having traveled from the Cretaceous, through the Jurassic and Triassic layers, and to the Permian strata. Geologic time explained here (with apologies to my good friends who consider the earth not 4.5 Billion years old, but more like 6 Thousand years old.) The roadside graphic below illustrates the strata and uplift; I was taking the above picture from about the "You Are Here" point:

Roadside Graphic
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Two days after this stop, Barbara and I spent a day in Zion National Park. I will not even try to post pictures of that place; it's just too big and overwhelming. What a wonderful place it must be for someone with at least a basic foundation in geology.