Summary
Rocks are the primary recorder of more than 99% of Earth’s History. Whether a rock chronicles processes deep in Earth’s interior, or on the wave agitated shores of a barrier island, rocks contain the clues that help geoscientists reconstruct ancient environments and piece together the history of life on Earth. Such study involves collecting hundreds or thousands of rock samples, photographing their cross-sections, sometimes reconstructing three-dimensional volumes, and ultimately creating a detailed catalogue of the contents of each rock, which can consist of hundreds or thousands of different
