Today we continue our theme of understanding geological time with "James Hutton – or ‘Mr. Rock Cycle’? Thinking towards the rock cycle, the Hutton way".

This activity involves a series of questions and answers that attempt to outline the possible thoughts of James Hutton as he developed his ideas in the context of what we now call the rock cycle.

Related Earthlearningideas can be found in our Geological Time category.

How to visualise the immensity of geological time

 The new ELI today is ‘Looking so far into the Abyss of Time’; how to visualise the immensity of geological time...with a rope!'

This Earthlearningidea is an exercise to demonstrate the extent of geological time-scales and the need for meaningful geological reference points, obtained from fossils and other geological events, recorded in the rock record.

Many related activities can be found in our Geological Time category.

Time gaps - what happened?

'Filling the gap – picturing the unconformity ‘abyss of time’? Working out what happened during unconformity time gaps'.

This Earthlearningidea is a  method of helping pupils to visualise the enormous time-spans between the upper and lower layers of unconformities.

Related activities can be found in our Geological Time category.

Dating the Earth - how do we know the Earth's age?

 'Dating the Earth – before the discovery of radioactivity; Charles Lyell and Mount Etna, 1828'

This activity shows how simplified calculations can be used to demonstrate the immense age of the Earth, before the discovery of radioactivity.

Other related Earthlearningideas can be found in 'Dating the Earth' category.

Simulating the formation and growth of crystal lattices

Following last week's chemistry theme, ''‘Crystallisation" in a pudding dish; simulating the formation and growth of crystal lattices'.

This ELI is a teacher-led demonstration of the formation of regular patterns with spherical objects, akin to the way in which crystal lattices may be produced in nature.

Many related activies can be found in our Minerals/Elements category.