The revolutionary impact of the Deep Time concept: Geology’s modernity and societal implications

I propose throughout this short op-ed that Geology, as one of the most recently established core sciences, is the one most at risk of societal misinterpretation precisely because of its innovativeness. The discovery of ‘deep time’ and the revelation of temporal change were triggered by the advance of geological methodology, which pushed the boundary of the scientific establishment of the time (1). These discoveries had profound societal implications that are deeply embedded into the scientific progress of the last few centuries but we, at times even geologists ourselves, still struggle to fully embrace the historical aspect of geology, instead accepting it as a ‘derivative’ of the physical sciences (2). By the end of this op-ed I will reason that geology expands on the physical sciences and should be involved at all decision-making levels, and that geologic literacy should become a top priority in terms of public education and policy making.