In our own day, cyclic interpretations of the world have again become fairly common, and we have looked at one that interprets both sea floor spreading and the great ice ages in the Permian and Precambrian in such a context. There is no suggestion that there is any link between them, other than that they are both cultural expressions as well as scientific ones. So one might conclude that geologists today often lift their gaze from numbering the streaks of the tulip, but that their research does not, and cannot, lead to 'universal laws' like those of Newton and Einstein. It is at the least, global, however, in that it addresses this one and only earth of ours, and this generates a freemasonry that is to be found among scientists from many disciplines, but is notable among geologists. The Precambrian is Precambrian in Scandinavia, the Laurentian shield and the Yilgarn Block, and an interest in the Precambrian makes political boundaries seem ephemeral.
Geologists are as diverse as any other group of people.
There are, doubtless, rabid nationalists among them, but I have not met them. I have, however, met many geologists in whom I sense a basic loyalty to the earth itself - an earth that is much in need of that loyalty. Professor George Seddon lives in Freemantle and his latest marvellous book, just published by Cambridge is 'Landprints, reflection on Place and Landscape'. Next week Ockham's Razor comes from the University of New South Wales where Richard Willgoss wants to introduce us to Mechatronics, no less. . Newcastle 1512AM Perth 810AM Sydney 576AM and via satellite to over 220 regional centres.