THE EARTHTIME NETWORK: Developing an Infrastructure for High-Resolution Calibration of Earth History

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

EAR-0451802 Bowring Much of what we know about biological evolution, episodes of severe climate change, and the evolution of our oceans and atmospheres is recorded in the geological record. However, geological records in any one geographical area are incomplete. Thus, to establish a detailed history of the planet we must integrate records from across the entire planet using a combination of the fossil record and the dating of rocks (geochronology). Our ability to determine the age of rocks has improved dramatically over the past twenty years and calculated uncertainties have been reduced from about 1% to 0.1 %. With increased precision has come the opportunity to explore very small differences in time and small but systematic differences between laboratories and different geochronological techniques. These differences by no means threaten the validity of the techniques but are a consequence of a level of precision never thought possible. A necessary step in the further development of understanding earth history using high-precision geochronology is the establishment of a coordinated infrastructure and analytical facilities necessary for the achievement of high-resolution "sequencing" of at least the last 800 million years of earth history in the next decade. We propose to develop a cyberinfrastructure, the EarthTime Network, that will unite geochronology labs around the world in terms of analytical protocol and the reporting of standards so that we will eliminate or further reduce small systematic differences between labs and techniques. We will combine this with an aggressive program of education and public outreach focused on both earth scientists as well as the general public. Our goal is to understand the changes our planet has undergone over the past 4.56 billion years so as to better predict our future.