ch uniformitarianism infers have always set the standard for geologic activity. If water freezes at zero degrees Celsius, what evidence is there to prove it has ever been different? Similarly, if rainwater falls on a mountain, erodes the rock, carries sediment to a stream, and then deposits sediments in the stream bed, what evidence proves nature has ever deviated from this? The rate of change and intensity of the processes have varied a great deal in the history of the earth and the fact is, there are some ancient processes that we do not see today. However, in the grand scheme of things, studying current geologic activity can give us a great deal of information about ancient environments and may even give us a clue as to our planets origins. Just as historians and archeologists study artifacts and records of past human civilizations, so too does historical geologists study the records of past geologic activity. The archeologist may look at a broken piece of pottery and, using previous knowledge and evidence, come to the conclusion that the pottery was from a certain tribe or civilization that thrived during a specific time in history. Almost instantaneously, the archeologist can recreate and entire lifestyle using other artifacts gathered and similar information. The historical geologists job is quite similar, although the artifacts are typically much older. If, while out in the field one day, a geologist comes across a few layers of sandstone with alternating layers of conglomerates and fine grains, he instantly knows that this rock was formed from a stream bed that varied in water velocity at certain times during its formation. By studying the rock more closely, the geologist can determine what type of rock was weathered to form the sandstone and, using geologic maps, almost pinpoint the location of the parent rock. With just a little research, the geologist has recreated a basic history of the rock. The archeologist can...
