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<br />wenty-three years ago the Fresh-
<br />water Foundation (now the
<br />Freshwater Society) sponsored a
<br />series of lectures on water in Minnesota. I
<br />prepared and delivered the series, called
<br />Lakeology.
<br />The 12 lectures were given on
<br />Wednesdays at 10 a.m. in the Wayzata
<br />Community Church. auditorium. The
<br />attendance was moderate to begin with,
<br />but by the 12a' session, about 100 people
<br />showed up each week. Some mothers
<br />brought their children, and at least one
<br />of them. has grown up to become a major
<br />environmental scientist at an eastern uni-
<br />versity. The lectures "turned on" many
<br />adult attendees to our natural Minnesota
<br />world.
<br />The lectures covered the history of
<br />lakes and rivers of Minnesota, how the
<br />world and Minnesota were formed, and
<br />how the gIaaal age shaped the state's
<br />topography and chemically determined
<br />the nature of our waters and soils in dif-
<br />ferent areas of the state.
<br />To better understand the develop-
<br />ment of our world and its part called
<br />Minnesota, I concocted a calendar of 12
<br />months, with January 1 being 00:00:01,
<br />the first second of the first minute of the
<br />first hour of the first day of the start of
<br />our world. Modem humans' place in the
<br />world occupied the last second of the last
<br />minute of the last hour of the last day
<br />of the historical. year-December 31 at
<br />23:59:59.
<br />Opinions vary as to how and when
<br />our world of today came into existence,
<br />but in general, birth by "a big bang'
<br />or otherwise occurred some 5 billion
<br />years ago. sy a complicated amalgam of
<br />chemistry, heat, pressure (and some say
<br />pure luck) the material of the eventual
<br />earth coalesced into the "roundness" that
<br />astronauts have viewed from space.
<br />When Earth's history to date is
<br />condensed into 12 months, the first six
<br />months, the start of geological Azoic Era,
<br />5.0 billion to 2.3 billion years ago, had no
<br />life that we know of. The oldest rocks to
<br />be found in Minnesota from that period
<br />occur in the Minnesota River Valley.
<br />The month. of July in that calendar, 2.3
<br />billion to 19 billion years ago, was the
<br />start of the so-called geological Archeo-
<br />zoic Era, which saw the origin of life in
<br />the forrr- of primitive sea plants. Even
<br />today our world. is covered with more
<br />than 70°fo water, most of which is salty.
<br />Historical August, 1.9 billion to 1.5
<br />billion years ago, yielded the oldest fossil
<br />bacteria that have been identified in rocks
<br />of the North Shore of Lake Superior.
<br />In historical September, 1.5 billion to
<br />1.15 billion years ago, there was much
<br />mountain activity and the formation of
<br />sea bottoms with thick limestone deposits.
<br />In historical October, the start of the
<br />geological Proterozoic Era,1.15 billion to
<br />765 million years ago, thick iron, nickel
<br />and copper deposits were formed.
<br />In .historical November, the start of
<br />the geological Paleozoic Era, 765 to 384
<br />million years ago, the first worms, fish
<br />insects and frogs appeared. I have early
<br />fossils of Orthoceras, 400 million years
<br />old from Morocco.
<br />In the First 15 days of historical Decem-
<br />ber, 384 to 205 million years ago, the first
<br />reptiles, trees, dinosaurs and mammals
<br />appeared.
<br />From historical December 16 through
<br />25, the start of the geological Mesozoic
<br />Era 205 to 76 million years ago, the
<br />first birds, flowers and pine-like trees
<br />appeared, according to fossil records.
<br />From historical December 26 through
<br />29, the start of the geological Cenozoic
<br />Era, 76 to 25 million years ago, wooly
<br />animals, Wyoming horses and African
<br />elephants show up in the fossil records.
<br />On historical December 30, just 25 to
<br />12.7 million years ago, Western moun-
<br />tains, Colorado redwoods and elephants
<br />in North America appeared.
<br />On historical December 31, before
<br />7 p.m., more mountains and camels
<br />appeared, and volcanic action was
<br />rampant.
<br />On historical December 31 at 7 p.m.,
<br />some 2.7 million years ago, great glaciers,
<br />the first evidence of man and the First
<br />tools appeared. At 11 p.m., 532,000 years
<br />ago, glaciers were present, humans. first
<br />used fire and there were mastodons and
<br />tigers in California. At 11:59 p.m., 9,000
<br />years ago, humans developed further,
<br />lakes formed, and bison, American. lions
<br />and tigers appeared, according to fossil
<br />records.
<br />On historical. December 31, between
<br />11:59:00 p.m. and 11:59:55 p.m., from
<br />9,000 years ago to 735 years ago, we had
<br />the first use of bronze and later iron,
<br />the development of the alphabet, the
<br />development of astronomy, the birth of
<br />Christ, the end of the Raman Empire, the
<br />Middte Ages, the growth of churches,
<br />European settlement of the new world.
<br />Maps, the concept of gravity and the use
<br />of calculus became part of an emerging
<br />civilization.
<br />Over the past 174 years, our world
<br />has seen overwhelming population
<br />growth and the development of large
<br />cities, autos, planes, transistors, nano-
<br />technology, computers and stem cell
<br />techniques.
<br />Now, on December 31 at 23:59:59,
<br />what must we do in the Last second?
<br />Conserve and do something about
<br />maintaining our lakes, rivers, aquifers,
<br />wetlands and all other water sources.
<br />Minnesota alone has 15,291 lakes
<br />yet we tend to forget Water is Life.
<br />There is no substitute for water. Water
<br />is still cheaper than dirt. Here we have
<br />something that is the most precious thing
<br />on Earth to us and we tend to take it for
<br />granted.
<br />Let's conserve, preserve and
<br />protect our waters. It's in our own
<br />best interests.
<br />Dick Gray, founder of the Freshwater
<br />Society, has written the Passwords
<br />column since 1968. The columns are , t ~o • - "
<br />,, .-,
<br />based on Gray's belief that we must use ~'
<br />our vast knowledge to work toward the ~ f t-_
<br />\y I
<br />preservation of water. ~ •. 1
<br />I__i , . u
<br />FACETS June 2004
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