EDITORIAL TH E AGE OF THE EARTH PRINCIPAL EDITORS JAMES I. DREVER, University of Wyoming, USA (
[email protected]) The “Age of the Earth” is of 200 students, “Have you had a discussion with GEORGES CALAS, IMPMC, France one of the most common someone who thinks the Earth is much younger (
[email protected]) JOHN W. VALLEY, University of Wisconsin, USA titles in the geological than 4500 million years?”, and about 50% say (
[email protected]) literature, and with good “yes.” I then have 50 minutes to talk about how PATRICIA M. DOVE, Virginia Tech (
[email protected]) reason. The scientific rocks are dated and to compare 4500 Ma with ADVISORY BOARD 2012 and philosophical impli- earlier estimates. I explain that geochronology is JOHN BRODHOLT, University College London, UK cations are immense. based on observable data and that the hypotheses NORBERT CLAUER, CNRS/UdS, Université de Strasbourg, France This issue of Elements is are testable, and I encourage students to at least WILL P. GATES, SmecTech Research Consulting, devoted to measuring look through the windows of clean-labs to see Australia th GEORGE E. HARLOW, American Museum geologic time on the 100 people running mass spectrometers. The serious of Natural History, USA John Valley anniversary of a book students may read this issue of Elements and get JANUSZ JANECZEK, University of Silesia, Poland HANS KEPPLER, Bayerisches Geoinstitut, with this title (Holmes an appreciation for the depth and complexity of Germany 1913). The book is a good read—a clear historical determining age, but no fi rst-year student, and DAVID R.