Monday, 23 June 2025

Geological time

We continue our series investigating geological time with '‘Looking so far into the Abyss of Time’; how to visualise the immensity of geological time...with a rope!'.


This ELI 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.

Go to 'Visualising deep time' in our Geological Time category for other related activities.

Monday, 16 June 2025

How do we know the actual age of rocks?

The ELI today continues our theme of geological (deep) time  with 'But how old is it? Investigating radioactive dating of rocks and minerals'.


This activity investigates how radioactive (radiometric) or absolute dating of rocks and minerals works.

Related activities can be found in our Geological Time category - Visualising deep time.

Monday, 9 June 2025

Helping to understand geological time

Continuing our theme of geological time, the ELI today is 'The origin of the Earth – at arm’s length: the age of the Earth - with a good stretch of imagination.'


This activity teaches the great length of geological time in a fun way. It could be used to reinforce other methods of helping pupils to understand the concept of “deep time”, e.g. during a quick-fire revision session.

Related activities can be found in our Visualising Deep time, Geological Time category.

Monday, 2 June 2025

For the next few weeks, we will be considering geological time. The ELI today is 'The toilet roll of time; make a geological timeline to take home'.


This activity has been devised to address the common lack of knowledge about geological time. Research has shown that many people have no idea of the great length of geological time nor of the order of the key events during the geological history of the Earth.

Related activities can be found in our Geological Time category, Visualising deep time.