Historical Geology Animations
Compiled by Mark Francek (more info) at Central Michigan University
Find animations depicting dating techniques, significant geologic events, and dinosaurs.
How fossils form, Exploring Earth (more info) : Find a Flash animation showing the formation of a fossil cast and mold. The sequence, which in reality can take thousands or millions of years, is sped up to a few seconds beginning first with burial and then exposure of the cast (actual copy of the creature) and the mold (the hollow impression formed by the creature). The animation can be rewound to stress important points.
From Big Bang to Present, BBC: This page-wide, fast-loading Flash animation begins with a depiction of the "Big Bang" some 15 billion years ago and then highlights important events like coalescence of the planets, plate tectonics, and the Pleistocene. When the animation concludes, click on the interactive timeline to view the position of continents and the type of life that existed from the Pleistocene Epoch through the Cambrian Period.
Geologic Time, Earth Revealed Series: This half hour long streaming Windows media video condenses the enormity of geologic time into the time frame of a single year. Important geologic events are analyzed like the formation of the planet, plate tectonics, and evolution. Dating techniques are also discussed. To access this video, scroll to Geologic Time link.
Dinosaur Planet Video Gallery, Discovery Channel: Despite the long loading times and annoying advertisements, there are a variety of worthwhile Flash and Windows media animations. As might be expected, the animations tend to stress the flashy, violent aspects of dinosaurs, like velociraptor attacks but there are also clips showing dinosaur eggs hatching, dinosaur locomotion, and even an interview with a paleontologist. A fast connection is a must to properly view this site.
