Knjiga Urantije
DIO III. Povijest Urantije
POGLAVLJE 59 : ERA MORSKOG ŽIVOTA NA URANTIJI
Sekcije
- Uvod
- § 1. RANI MORSKI ŽIVOT U PLITKIM MORIMA - DOBA TRILOBITA
- § 2 . PRVA FAZA KONTINENTALNIH POPLAVA - DOBA BESKRALJEŽNJAKA
- § 3. DRUGA VELIKA FAZA POPLAVA - RAZDOBLJE KORALJA - DOBA BRAHIOPODA
- § 4. VELIKO RAZDOBLJE KOPNENE FORMACIJE - VEGETATIVNI PERIOD U RAZVOJU ŽIVOTA - RAZDOBLJE RIBA
- § 5. STADIJ POMICANJA ZEMLJINE KORE - KARBONSKO RAZDOBLJE ŠUMA PAPRATI - DOBA ŽABA
- § 6. STADIJ KLIMATSKOG PRIJELAZA - RAZDOBLJE SJEMENJAČA - EPOHA BIOLOŠKOG STRADANJA
Paper 59
The Marine-Life Era on Urantia
The Marine-Life Era on Urantia
Sections
- Introduction
- § 1. Early Marine Life in the Shallow Seas
The Trilobite Age - § 2. The First Continental Flood Stage
The Invertebrate-Animal Age - § 3. The Second Great Flood Stage
The Coral Period—The Brachiopod Age - § 4. The Great Land-Emergence Stage
The Vegetative Land-Life Period
The Age of Fishes - § 5. The Crustal-Shifting Stage
The Fern-Forest Carboniferous Period
The Age of Frogs - § 6. The Climatic Transition Stage
The Seed-Plant Period
The Age of Biologic Tribulation
Na početku ove ere morska dna, prostrani kontinentalni šelfovi i brojni plitki priobalni bazeni prekriveni su bujnom vegetacijom. Jednostavniji i primitivniji oblici životinjskog života već su se razvili iz ranijih biljnih organizama, a prvi životinjski organizmi postupno su se širili duž prostranih obala različitih kopnenih masa sve dok mnoga unutarnja mora nisu vrvjela primitivnim morskim životom. Budući da je malo tih ranih organizama posjedovalo ljušture, nije ih mnogo sačuvano u obliku fosila. Ipak, pozornica je bila pripremljena za početna poglavlja velike "kamene knjige" životnog zapisa koji je tijekom narednih doba tako metodički bilježen i očuvan.
59:0.8 (672.8)
As this era begins, the sea bottoms, the extensive continental shelves, and the numerous shallow near-shore basins are covered with prolific vegetation. The more simple and primitive forms of animal life have already developed from preceding vegetable organisms, and the early animal organisms have gradually made their way along the extensive coast lines of the various land masses until the many inland seas are teeming with primitive marine life. Since so few of these early organisms had shells, not many have been preserved as fossils. Nevertheless the stage is set for the opening chapters of that great “stone book” of the life-record preservation which was so methodically laid down during the succeeding ages.
59:0.9 (672.9)
The continent of North America is wonderfully rich in the fossil-bearing deposits of the entire marine-life era. The very first and oldest layers are separated from the later strata of the preceding period by extensive erosion deposits which clearly segregate these two stages of planetary development.
Na početku ovog razdoblja relativnog mira na Zemljinoj površini život je ograničen na različita unutarnja mora i oceanske obale; još se nije razvio nijedan oblik kopnenog života. Primitivne morske životinje već su dobro ustaljene i spremne za sljedeći evolucijski razvoj. Amebe su tipični preživjeli predstavnici ovog ranog stadija životinjskog života, a pojavile su se pred kraj prethodnog prijelaznog razdoblja.
59:1.1 (673.1)
By the dawn of this period of relative quiet on the earth’s surface, life is confined to the various inland seas and the oceanic shore line; as yet no form of land organism has evolved. Primitive marine animals are well established and are prepared for the next evolutionary development. Amebas are typical survivors of this initial stage of animal life, having made their appearance toward the close of the preceding transition period.
Prije 400 milijuna godina biljni i životinjski svijet mora bio je prilično rasprostranjen diljem svijeta. Klima postaje nešto toplija i ujednačenija. Dolazi do općeg plavljenja obala različitih kontinenata, osobito Sjeverne i Južne Amerike. Pojavljuju se nova mora, a starije vodene površine znatno se proširuju.
59:1.2 (673.2)
400,000,000 years ago marine life, both vegetable and animal, is fairly well distributed over the whole world. The world climate grows slightly warmer and becomes more equable. There is a general inundation of the seashores of the various continents, particularly of North and South America. New oceans appear, and the older bodies of water are greatly enlarged.
U kasnijem dijelu ovog razdoblja velik dio Sjeverne Amerike i Europe izronio je iz mora. Zemljina kora privremeno se stabilizirala; planine, ili bolje rečeno velika kopnena uzvišenja, uzdigla su se duž atlantske i pacifičke obale, na području Zapadne Indije i u južnoj Europi. Čitava karipska regija bila je znatno uzdignuta.
59:1.5 (673.5)
In the later portion of this time segment much of North America and Europe emerged from the sea. The crust of the earth was temporarily stabilized; mountains, or rather high elevations of land, rose along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, over the West Indies, and in southern Europe. The entire Caribbean region was highly elevated.
Prije 390 milijuna godina kopno je i dalje bilo uzdignuto. U dijelovima istočne i zapadne Amerike te zapadne Europe mogu se pronaći slojevi stijena nataloženi tijekom tog vremena, a to su najstarije stijene koje sadrže fosile trilobita. Postojali su brojni dugi zaljevi nalik prstima koji su duboko zadirali u kopnene mase, a u njima su se taložile ove fosilonosne stijene.
59:1.6 (673.6)
390,000,000 years ago the land was still elevated. Over parts of eastern and western America and western Europe may be found the stone strata laid down during these times, and these are the oldest rocks which contain trilobite fossils. There were many long fingerlike gulfs projecting into the land masses in which were deposited these fossil-bearing rocks.
Prije 380 milijuna godina Azija je tonula, dok su svi ostali kontinenti prolazili kroz kratkotrajno izdizanje. No kako je ova epoha odmicala, novonastali Atlantski ocean duboko je prodirao u sve susjedne obale. Sjeverna atlantska ili arktička mora tada su bila povezana s vodama južnog zaljeva. Kada je ovo južno more prodrlo u Apalačku udolinu, njegovi su se valovi na istoku razbijali o planine visoke poput Alpa, ali su kontinenti u cjelini bili nezanimljive nizine, čiji su krajolici bili potpuno lišeni ljepote.
59:1.8 (673.8)
380,000,000 years ago Asia was subsiding, and all other continents were experiencing a short-lived emergence. But as this epoch progressed, the newly appearing Atlantic Ocean made extensive inroads on all adjacent coast lines. The northern Atlantic or Arctic seas were then connected with the southern Gulf waters. When this southern sea entered the Appalachian trough, its waves broke upon the east against mountains as high as the Alps, but in general the continents were uninteresting lowlands, utterly devoid of scenic beauty.
Fosili trilobita iz ovog razdoblja pokazuju određene temeljne sličnosti, ali i jasno izražene razlike. Rane životinje koje su se razvile iz triju izvornih implantacija života imale su prepoznatljiva obilježja; one koje su se pojavile na zapadnoj hemisferi donekle su se razlikovale od onih euroazijske skupine te od australoazijskog, odnosno australsko-antarktičkog tipa.
59:1.14 (673.14)
The trilobite fossils of these times present certain basic uniformities coupled with certain well-marked variations. The early animals developing from the three original life implantations were characteristic; those appearing in the Western Hemisphere were slightly different from those of the Eurasian group and from the Australasian or Australian-Antarctic type.
Prije 370 milijuna godina došlo je do velikog i gotovo potpunog potapanja Sjeverne i Južne Amerike, nakon čega su uslijedila potapanja Afrike i Australije. Samo su pojedini dijelovi Sjeverne Amerike ostali iznad ovih plitkih kambrijskih mora. Pet milijuna godina kasnije mora su se povlačila pred kopnom koje se uzdizalo. Sva ta potapanja i izdizanja kopna odvijala su se bez velikih prevrata, polako, tijekom milijuna godina.
59:1.15 (674.1)
370,000,000 years ago the great and almost total submergence of North and South America occurred, followed by the sinking of Africa and Australia. Only certain parts of North America remained above these shallow Cambrian seas. Five million years later the seas were retreating before the rising land. And all of these phenomena of land sinking and land rising were undramatic, taking place slowly over millions of years.
Slojevi stijena s fosilima trilobita iz ove epohe izbijaju na površinu tu i tamo na svim kontinentima osim u središnjoj Aziji. U mnogim područjima ove su stijene vodoravne, no u planinskim krajevima nagnute su i deformirane uslijed pritiska i nabiranja. Takvi su pritisci na mnogim mjestima promijenili izvorna svojstva ovih naslaga. Pješčenjak je pretvoren u kvarcit, škriljevac u škriljac, a vapnenac u mramor.
59:1.16 (674.2)
The trilobite fossil-bearing strata of this epoch outcrop here and there throughout all the continents except in central Asia. In many regions these rocks are horizontal, but in the mountains they are tilted and distorted because of pressure and folding. And such pressure has, in many places, changed the original character of these deposits. Sandstone has been turned into quartz, shale has been changed to slate, while limestone has been converted into marble.
Prije 360 milijuna godina kopno se i dalje uzdizalo. Sjeverna i Južna Amerika bile su znatno izdignute iznad mora. Zapadna Europa i Britanski otoci izranjali su iz mora, izuzev dijelova Walesa koji su bili duboko potopljeni. Tijekom ovih razdoblja nije bilo velikih ledenih pokrova. Navodne ledenjačke naslage koje se pojavljuju u vezi s ovim slojevima u Europi, Africi, Kini i Australiji posljedica su izoliranih planinskih ledenjaka ili premještanja ledenjačkog materijala novijeg porijekla. Svjetska klima bila je oceanska, a ne kontinentalna. Južna mora tada su bila toplija nego danas i pružala su se prema sjeveru preko Sjeverne Amerike sve do polarnih područja. Golfska struja tekla je preko središnjeg dijela Sjeverne Amerike, a zatim se skretala prema istoku kako bi zapljuskivala i zagrijavala obale Grenlanda, pretvarajući taj kontinent, danas okovan ledom, u pravi tropski raj.
59:1.17 (674.3)
360,000,000 years ago the land was still rising. North and South America were well up. Western Europe and the British Isles were emerging, except parts of Wales, which were deeply submerged. There were no great ice sheets during these ages. The supposed glacial deposits appearing in connection with these strata in Europe, Africa, China, and Australia are due to isolated mountain glaciers or to the displacement of glacial debris of later origin. The world climate was oceanic, not continental. The southern seas were warmer then than now, and they extended northward over North America up to the polar regions. The Gulf Stream coursed over the central portion of North America, being deflected eastward to bathe and warm the shores of Greenland, making that now ice-mantled continent a veritable tropic paradise.
Morski svijet bio je uvelike ujednačen širom svijeta, a sastojao se od algi, jednostaničnih organizama, jednostavnih spužvi, trilobita i drugih ljuskara — škampa, rakova i jastoga. Pred kraj tog razdoblja pojavilo se tri tisuće vrsta brahiopoda, od kojih je do danas preživjelo samo dvjesto. Ove životinje predstavljaju oblik ranog života koji se održao do danas gotovo posve nepromijenjen.
59:1.18 (674.4)
The marine life was much alike the world over and consisted of the seaweeds, one-celled organisms, simple sponges, trilobites, and other crustaceans—shrimps, crabs, and lobsters. Three thousand varieties of brachiopods appeared at the close of this period, only two hundred of which have survived. These animals represent a variety of early life which has come down to the present time practically unchanged.
Trilobiti su bili dominantna živa bića toga vremena. Bile su to životinje odvojenih spolova koje su postojale u mnogim oblicima. Budući da su bili slabi plivači, tromo su plutali u vodi ili puzali po morskom dnu, savijajući se radi zaštite kada bi ih napali njihovi kasnije nastali neprijatelji. Narasli su od pet do trideset centimetara duljine i razvili se u četiri zasebne skupine: mesoždere, biljoždere, svaštojede i „blatojede.” Sposobnost potonje skupine da se u velikoj mjeri prehranjuje neorganskom tvari — kao posljednje višestanične životinje koje su to mogle — objašnjava njihovo veliko umnožavanje i dugotrajan opstanak.
59:1.19 (674.5)
But the trilobites were the dominant living creatures. They were sexed animals and existed in many forms; being poor swimmers, they sluggishly floated in the water or crawled along the sea bottoms, curling up in self-protection when attacked by their later appearing enemies. They grew in length from two inches to one foot and developed into four distinct groups: carnivorous, herbivorous, omnivorous, and “mud eaters.” The ability of the latter group largely to subsist on inorganic matter—being the last multicelled animal that could—explains their great increase and long survival.
Naizmjenično izdizanje i spuštanje kopnenih masa koje obilježava ovo razdoblje bilo je postupno i neupadljivo, praćeno s malo ili nimalo vulkanske aktivnosti. Tijekom cijelog ovog slijeda uzastopnih izdizanja i spuštanja kopna, matični kontinent Azije nije u potpunosti dijelio povijest drugih kopnenih masa. Doživio je mnoge poplave, spuštajući se najprije u jednom, a zatim u drugom smjeru, osobito u svojoj ranijoj povijesti, ali ne pokazuje jednolike naslage stijena kakve se mogu pronaći na drugim kontinentima. U novijim geološkim razdobljima Azija je bila najstabilnija od svih kopnenih masa.
59:2.1 (674.7)
The periodic phenomena of land elevation and land sinking characteristic of these times were all gradual and nonspectacular, being accompanied by little or no volcanic action. Throughout all of these successive land elevations and depressions the Asiatic mother continent did not fully share the history of the other land bodies. It experienced many inundations, dipping first in one direction and then another, more particularly in its earlier history, but it does not present the uniform rock deposits which may be discovered on the other continents. In recent ages Asia has been the most stable of all the land masses.
Prije 350 milijuna godina započelo je veliko razdoblje poplava na svim kontinentima osim u središnjoj Aziji. Kopnene mase više su puta bile prekrivene vodom; jedino su obalne visoravni ostale iznad tih plitkih, ali prostranih oscilirajućih unutarnjih mora. Tri velike poplave obilježile su ovo razdoblje, ali prije njegova završetka kontinenti su se ponovno izdigli, a ukupna površina kopna bila je oko petnaest posto veća nego danas. Karipsko područje bilo je znatno uzdignuto. Ovo razdoblje nije osobito jasno izraženo u Europi jer su kolebanja kopna bila manja, dok je vulkanska aktivnost bila postojanija.
59:2.2 (675.1)
350,000,000 years ago saw the beginning of the great flood period of all the continents except central Asia. The land masses were repeatedly covered with water; only the coastal highlands remained above these shallow but widespread oscillatory inland seas. Three major inundations characterized this period, but before it ended, the continents again arose, the total land emergence being fifteen per cent greater than now exists. The Caribbean region was highly elevated. This period is not well marked off in Europe because the land fluctuations were less, while the volcanic action was more persistent.
Nekoliko milijuna godina kasnije veliki dijelovi američkih kontinenata i Europe počeli su se uzdizati iznad vode. Na zapadnoj hemisferi samo je jedan krak Tihog oceana ostao iznad područja Meksika i današnjih Stjenjaka, ali pred kraj ovog razdoblja atlantske i pacifičke obale ponovno su se počele spuštati.
59:2.4 (675.3)
A few million years later large portions of the American continents and Europe began to emerge from the water. In the Western Hemisphere only an arm of the Pacific Ocean remained over Mexico and the present Rocky Mountain regions, but near the close of this epoch the Atlantic and Pacific coasts again began to sink.
Prije 330 milijuna godina započelo je razdoblje usporednog mira diljem svijeta, pri čemu se velik dio kopna ponovno nalazio iznad vode. Jedina iznimka ovom razdoblju zemaljskog mirovanja bila je erupcija velikog sjevernoameričkog vulkana u istočnom Kentuckyju, jedna od najvećih pojedinačnih vulkanskih aktivnosti koje je svijet ikada upoznao. Pepeo ovog vulkana prekrio je oko tisuću tristo četvornih kilometara u sloju debljine od četiri i pol do šest metara.
59:2.5 (675.4)
330,000,000 years ago marks the beginning of a time sector of comparative quiet all over the world, with much land again above water. The only exception to this reign of terrestrial quiet was the eruption of the great North American volcano of eastern Kentucky, one of the greatest single volcanic activities the world has ever known. The ashes of this volcano covered five hundred square miles to a depth of from fifteen to twenty feet.
Prije 320 milijuna godina dogodila se treća velika poplava ovog razdoblja. Vode ove poplave prekrile su sve kopno koje je bilo potopljeno tijekom prethodne poplave, a na mnogim su se područjima proširile još dalje diljem Amerika i Europe. Istočni dio Sjeverne Amerike i zapadna Europa nalazili su se pod vodom na dubini od tri do četiri i pol tisuće metara.
59:2.6 (675.5)
320,000,000 years ago the third major flood of this period occurred. The waters of this inundation covered all the land submerged by the preceding deluge, while extending farther in many directions all over the Americas and Europe. Eastern North America and western Europe were from 10,000 to 15,000 feet under water.
59:2.8 (675.7)
The life of this period continues to evolve. The world is once again quiet and relatively peaceful; the climate remains mild and equable; the land plants are migrating farther and farther from the seashores. The life patterns are well developed, although few plant fossils of these times are to be found.
Ovo je bilo veliko doba evolucije pojedinačnih životinjskih organizama, premda su se mnoge temeljne promjene, poput prijelaza s biljnog na životinjski svijet, dogodile ranije. Morska fauna razvila se do te mjere da je u fosilima stijena nastalih tijekom ovog razdoblja zastupljena svaka vrsta života ispod razine kralježnjaka. No sve su te životinje bile morski organizmi. Kopnene životinje još se nisu pojavile, osim nekoliko vrsta crva koji su se ukopavali duž morskih obala, niti su kopnene biljke još prekrile kontinente; u atmosferi je još uvijek bilo previše ugljikova dioksida da bi omogućio opstanak organizama koji dišu zrak. Gotovo sve životinje, osim nekih primitivnijih oblika, izravno ili neizravno ovise o biljnom životu za svoj opstanak.
59:2.9 (675.8)
This was the great age of individual animal organismal evolution, though many of the basic changes, such as the transition from plant to animal, had previously occurred. The marine fauna developed to the point where every type of life below the vertebrate scale was represented in the fossils of those rocks which were laid down during these times. But all of these animals were marine organisms. No land animals had yet appeared except a few types of worms which burrowed along the seashores, nor had the land plants yet overspread the continents; there was still too much carbon dioxide in the air to permit of the existence of air breathers. Primarily, all animals except certain of the more primitive ones are directly or indirectly dependent on plant life for their existence.
Trilobiti su još uvijek bili istaknuti. Ove male životinje postojale su u desecima tisuća oblika i bile su preteče suvremenih ljuskara. Neki trilobiti imali su od dvadeset i pet do četiri tisuće sitnih očnih leća, dok su drugi imali zakržljale oči. Pred kraj ovog razdoblja trilobiti su dijelili prevlast nad morima s nekoliko drugih oblika beskralježnjačkog života. No potpuno su izumrli na početku sljedećeg razdoblja.
59:2.10 (676.1)
The trilobites were still prominent. These little animals existed in tens of thousands of patterns and were the predecessors of modern crustaceans. Some of the trilobites had from twenty-five to four thousand tiny eyelets; others had aborted eyes. As this period closed, the trilobites shared domination of the seas with several other forms of invertebrate life. But they utterly perished during the beginning of the next period.
Alge koje izlučuju vapno bile su široko rasprostranjene. Postojale su tisuće vrsta ranih predaka koralja. Morskih crva bilo je u izobilju, a postojale su i mnoge vrste meduza koje su kasnije izumrle. Razvili su se koralji i kasniji tipovi spužvi. Glavonošci su bili dobro razvijeni, a opstali su do danas u obliku nautilusa, hobotnica, sipa i lignji.
59:2.11 (676.2)
Lime-secreting algae were widespread. There existed thousands of species of the early ancestors of the corals. Sea worms were abundant, and there were many varieties of jellyfish which have since become extinct. Corals and the later types of sponges evolved. The cephalopods were well developed, and they have survived as the modern pearly nautilus, octopus, cuttlefish, and squid.
Bilo je i mnogo vrsta školjkastih životinja, ali njihove ljušture još nisu bile toliko važne za obranu kao što će postati u kasnijim dobima. Puževi su bili prisutni u vodama drevnih mora, a među njima su bili jednostrukoljušturni svrdlaši, priobalni puževi i puževi. Dvoklopni mekušci opstali su kroz milijune godina koji su uslijedili gotovo nepromijenjeni, a među njih se ubrajaju dagnje, školjke, kamenice i Jakobove kapice. Razvili su se i organizmi s ljušturama sastavljenim od zalistaka, a ti su brahiopodi živjeli u tim drevnim vodama gotovo jednako kao i danas; čak su imali zglobne, urezane i druge zaštitne prilagodbe svojih ljuštura.
59:2.12 (676.3)
There were many varieties of shell animals, but their shells were not then so much needed for defensive purposes as in subsequent ages. The gastropods were present in the waters of the ancient seas, and they included single-shelled drills, periwinkles, and snails. The bivalve gastropods have come on down through the intervening millions of years much as they then existed and embrace the mussels, clams, oysters, and scallops. The valve-shelled organisms also evolved, and these brachiopods lived in those ancient waters much as they exist today; they even had hinged, notched, and other sorts of protective arrangements of their valves.
Prije 300 milijuna godina započelo je još jedno veliko razdoblje potapanja kopna. Širenje drevnih silurskih mora prema jugu i sjeveru pripremalo se progutati veći dio Europe i Sjeverne Amerike. Kopno nije bilo mnogo uzdignuto iznad razine mora pa se uz obale nije taložilo mnogo sedimenta. Mora su vrvjela organizmima s vapnenačkim ljušturama, a taloženje tih ljuštura na morsko dno postupno je stvorilo vrlo debele slojeve vapnenca. To je prvo široko rasprostranjeno nalazište vapnenca koje prekriva gotovo cijelu Europu i Sjevernu Ameriku, ali izbija na površinu samo na nekoliko mjesta. Debljina ovog drevnog sloja stijena prosječno iznosi oko tisuću stopa, no mnoge od tih naslaga kasnije su znatno deformirane naginjanjem, izdizanjem i rasjedanjem, a mnoge su preobražene u kvarcit, škriljevac i mramor.
59:3.1 (676.5)
300,000,000 years ago another great period of land submergence began. The southward and northward encroachment of the ancient Silurian seas made ready to engulf most of Europe and North America. The land was not elevated far above the sea so that not much deposition occurred about the shore lines. The seas teemed with lime-shelled life, and the falling of these shells to the sea bottom gradually built up very thick layers of limestone. This is the first widespread limestone deposit, and it covers practically all of Europe and North America but only appears at the earth’s surface in a few places. The thickness of this ancient rock layer averages about one thousand feet, but many of these deposits have since been greatly deformed by tilting, upheavals, and faulting, and many have been changed to quartz, shale, and marble.
U kamenim slojevima ovog razdoblja ne nalaze se vulkanske stijene ni naslage lave, osim onih povezanih s velikim vulkanima južne Europe, istočnog Mainea i tokovima lave u Quebecu. Vulkanska aktivnost uglavnom je bila stvar prošlosti. To je bilo doba velikog taloženja u vodi; bilo je malo ili nimalo izdizanja planina.
59:3.2 (676.6)
No fire rocks or lava are found in the stone layers of this period except those of the great volcanoes of southern Europe and eastern Maine and the lava flows of Quebec. Volcanic action was largely past. This was the height of great water deposition; there was little or no mountain building.
Prije 290 milijuna godina more se u velikoj mjeri povuklo s kontinenata, dok su se dna okolnih oceana spuštala. Kopnene mase malo su se mijenjale sve dok ponovno nisu bile potopljene. Rani pokreti stvaranja planina na svim kontinentima već su započeli, a najveći među tim izdizanjima Zemljine kore bili su azijska Himalaja i veliko Kaledonsko gorje koje se protezalo od Irske preko Škotske pa sve do Spitzbergena.
59:3.3 (676.7)
290,000,000 years ago the sea had largely withdrawn from the continents, and the bottoms of the surrounding oceans were sinking. The land masses were little changed until they were again submerged. The early mountain movements of all the continents were beginning, and the greatest of these crustal upheavals were the Himalayas of Asia and the great Caledonian Mountains, extending from Ireland through Scotland and on to Spitzbergen.
U naslagama ovog doba nalaze se velike količine plina, nafte, cinka i olova. Plin i nafta potječu od golemih nakupina biljne i životinjske tvari koje su bile odnesene i zatrpane tijekom prethodnog potapanja kopna, dok su mineralne naslage nastale taloženjem u sporim i mirnim vodenim bazenima. Mnoge naslage kamene soli pripadaju ovom razdoblju.
59:3.4 (677.1)
It is in the deposits of this age that much of the gas, oil, zinc, and lead are found, the gas and oil being derived from the enormous collections of vegetable and animal matter carried down at the time of the previous land submergence, while the mineral deposits represent the sedimentation of sluggish bodies of water. Many of the rock salt deposits belong to this period.
Broj trilobita brzo se smanjivao, a središnje mjesto na pozornici zauzeli su veći mekušci odnosno glavonošci. Ove su životinje narasle do duljine od pet metara i promjera od tridesetak centimetara te su postale gospodari mora. Ova vrsta životinja pojavila se iznenada i preuzela prevlast nad morskim životom.
59:3.5 (677.2)
The trilobites rapidly declined, and the center of the stage was occupied by the larger mollusks, or cephalopods. These animals grew to be fifteen feet long and one foot in diameter and became masters of the seas. This species of animal appeared suddenly and assumed dominance of sea life.
Velika vulkanska aktivnost ovog doba bila je koncentrirana u europskom području. Milijunima godina nisu se dogodile tako silovite i rasprostranjene vulkanske erupcije kao one koje su tada izbile oko sredozemnog bazena, a osobito u blizini Britanskih otoka. Ovaj tok lave na području Britanskih otoka danas se pojavljuje u obliku naizmjeničnih slojeva lave i stijena ukupne debljine oko sedam i pol kilometara. Te su stijene nastale povremenim izljevima lave koji su se širili preko plitkog morskog dna, naizmjenično se taložeći sa slojevima stijena, a sve je to kasnije bilo izdignuto visoko iznad razine mora. Snažni potresi događali su se u sjevernoj Europi, osobito u Škotskoj.
59:3.6 (677.3)
The great volcanic activity of this age was in the European sector. Not in millions upon millions of years had such violent and extensive volcanic eruptions occurred as now took place around the Mediterranean trough and especially in the neighborhood of the British Isles. This lava flow over the British Isles region today appears as alternate layers of lava and rock 25,000 feet thick. These rocks were laid down by the intermittent lava flows which spread out over a shallow sea bed, thus interspersing the rock deposits, and all of this was subsequently elevated high above the sea. Violent earthquakes took place in northern Europe, notably in Scotland.
Prije 280 milijuna godina kontinenti su se uglavnom izdigli nakon drugog silurskog potapanja. Naslage stijena nastale tijekom ovog potapanja u Sjevernoj Americi poznate su kao niagarški vapnenac jer je to sloj stijene preko kojeg danas teku Nijagarini slapovi. Ovaj sloj stijene proteže se od istočnih planina do područja doline Mississippija, ali ne ide dalje prema zapadu osim na jugu. Nekoliko slojeva proteže se preko Kanade, dijelova Južne Amerike, Australije i većeg dijela Europe, a prosječna debljina niagarškog niza iznosi oko sto osamdeset metara. Neposredno iznad niagarških naslaga u mnogim se područjima može pronaći skup konglomerata, škriljevca i kamene soli. To su nakupine nastale tijekom naknadnih slijeganja tla. Sol se taložila u velikim lagunama koje su se naizmjenično povezivale s morem pa ponovno bivale odsječene od njega, tako da je isparavanje uzrokovalo taloženje soli zajedno s drugim tvarima otopljenima u vodi. Na nekim mjestima ovi slojevi kamene soli dosežu debljinu od dvadeset metara.
59:3.9 (677.6)
280,000,000 years ago the continents had largely emerged from the second Silurian inundation. The rock deposits of this submergence are known in North America as Niagara limestone because this is the stratum of rock over which Niagara Falls now flows. This layer of rock extends from the eastern mountains to the Mississippi valley region but not farther west except to the south. Several layers extend over Canada, portions of South America, Australia, and most of Europe, the average thickness of this Niagara series being about six hundred feet. Immediately overlying the Niagara deposit, in many regions may be found a collection of conglomerate, shale, and rock salt. This is the accumulation of secondary subsidences. This salt settled in great lagoons which were alternately opened up to the sea and then cut off so that evaporation occurred with deposition of salt along with other matter held in solution. In some regions these rock salt beds are seventy feet thick.
Pred kraj posljednjeg silurskog potapanja dolazi do velikog porasta bodljikaša — kamenih ljiljana — što potvrđuju naslage krinoidnog vapnenca. Trilobiti su gotovo nestali, dok mekušci i dalje ostaju gospodari mora; stvaranje koraljnih grebena znatno se povećava. Tijekom ovog doba, na povoljnijim područjima, najprije se razvijaju primitivni vodeni škorpioni. Ubrzo nakon toga, i to iznenada, pojavljuju se pravi škorpioni — stvarni organizmi koji dišu zrak.
59:3.11 (677.8)
Toward the close of the final Silurian submergence there is a great increase in the echinoderms—the stone lilies—as is evidenced by the crinoid limestone deposits. The trilobites have nearly disappeared, and the mollusks continue monarchs of the seas; coral-reef formation increases greatly. During this age, in the more favorable locations the primitive water scorpions first evolve. Soon thereafter, and suddenly, the true scorpions—actual air breathers—make their appearance.
59:4.1 (678.2)
In the agelong struggle between land and water, for long periods the sea has been comparatively victorious, but times of land victory are just ahead. And the continental drifts have not proceeded so far but that, at times, practically all of the land of the world is connected by slender isthmuses and narrow land bridges.
Kako se kopno uzdiže nakon posljednjeg silurskog potapanja, završava jedno važno razdoblje u razvoju svijeta i evoluciji života. To je zora novog doba na Zemlji. Goli i neprivlačni krajolici prijašnjih vremena počinju se zaodijevati bujnom vegetacijom, a uskoro će se pojaviti i prve veličanstvene šume.
59:4.2 (678.3)
As the land emerges from the last Silurian inundation, an important period in world development and life evolution comes to an end. It is the dawn of a new age on earth. The naked and unattractive landscape of former times is becoming clothed with luxuriant verdure, and the first magnificent forests will soon appear.
Morski život ovog doba bio je vrlo raznolik zbog ranog razdvajanja vrsta, ali kasnije je došlo do slobodnog miješanja i povezivanja svih tih različitih oblika života. Brahiopodi su rano dosegnuli svoj vrhunac, nakon čega su ih naslijedili člankonošci, a po prvi put pojavili su se i vitičari. No najveći događaj od svih bila je iznenadna pojava skupine riba. Time je započelo doba riba, ono razdoblje svjetske povijesti koje obilježava prevlast kralježnjaka.
59:4.3 (678.4)
The marine life of this age was very diverse due to the early species segregation, but later on there was free commingling and association of all these different types. The brachiopods early reached their climax, being succeeded by the arthropods, and barnacles made their first appearance. But the greatest event of all was the sudden appearance of the fish family. This became the age of fishes, that period of the world’s history characterized by the vertebrate type of animal.
Pet milijuna godina kasnije kopnena područja Sjeverne i Južne Amerike, Europe, Afrike, sjeverne Azije i Australije nakratko su ponovno bila potopljena; u Sjevernoj Americi potapanje je u različitim razdobljima bilo gotovo potpuno. Kao posljedica toga nastali su slojevi vapnenca debljine od približno 150 do 1500 metara. Ta različita devonska mora širila su se čas u jednom, čas u drugom smjeru, tako da je golemo arktičko unutarnje more Sjeverne Amerike naposljetku pronašlo izlaz prema Tihom oceanu preko sjeverne Kalifornije.
59:4.5 (678.6)
Five million years later the land areas of North and South America, Europe, Africa, northern Asia, and Australia were briefly inundated, in North America the submergence at one time or another being almost complete; and the resulting limestone layers run from 500 to 5,000 feet in thickness. These various Devonian seas extended first in one direction and then in another so that the immense arctic North American inland sea found an outlet to the Pacific Ocean through northern California.
Prije 260 milijuna godina, pred kraj ovog razdoblja spuštanja kopna, Sjeverna Amerika bila je djelomično prekrivena morima koja su istodobno bila povezana s vodama Tihog, Atlantskog i Arktičkog oceana te Meksičkog zaljeva. Naslage nastale tijekom kasnijih faza ove prve devonske poplave prosječno su bile debele oko 300 metara. Koraljni grebeni karakteristični za ovo vrijeme ukazuju na to da su unutarnja mora bila bistra i plitka. Takve koraljne naslage izložene su na obalama rijeke Ohio u blizini Louisvillea u Kentuckyju i debele su oko 30 metara, a obuhvaćaju više od dvjesto vrsta koralja. Ove koraljne formacije protežu se kroz Kanadu i sjevernu Europu sve do arktičkih područja.
59:4.6 (678.7)
260,000,000 years ago, toward the end of this land-depression epoch, North America was partially overspread by seas having simultaneous connection with the Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, and Gulf waters. The deposits of these later stages of the first Devonian flood average about one thousand feet in thickness. The coral reefs characterizing these times indicate that the inland seas were clear and shallow. Such coral deposits are exposed in the banks of the Ohio River near Louisville, Kentucky, and are about one hundred feet thick, embracing more than two hundred varieties. These coral formations extend through Canada and northern Europe to the arctic regions.
Nakon ovih potapanja mnoge su obalne linije bile znatno uzdignute, tako da su ranije naslage bile prekrivene muljem ili škriljevcem. Postoji i sloj crvenog pješčenjaka koji obilježava jedno od devonskih taloženja, a taj se crveni sloj proteže preko velikog dijela Zemljine površine te se nalazi u Sjevernoj i Južnoj Americi, Europi, Rusiji, Kini, Africi i Australiji. Takve crvene naslage upućuju na sušne ili polusušne uvjete, ali klima ovog razdoblja još je uvijek bila blaga i ujednačena.
59:4.7 (678.8)
Following these submergences, many of the shore lines were considerably elevated so that the earlier deposits were covered by mud or shale. There is also a red sandstone stratum which characterizes one of the Devonian sedimentations, and this red layer extends over much of the earth’s surface, being found in North and South America, Europe, Russia, China, Africa, and Australia. Such red deposits are suggestive of arid or semiarid conditions, but the climate of this epoch was still mild and even.
Člankonošci, odnosno rakovi, bili su preci prvih kralježnjaka. Preteče skupine riba bila su dva preobražena pretka iz reda člankonožaca; jedan je imao izduženo tijelo koje je povezivalo glavu i rep, dok je drugi bio predriba bez kralježnice i bez čeljusti. No ovi su prijelazni oblici ubrzo nestali kada su se sa sjevera iznenada pojavile ribe, prvi kralježnjaci životinjskog svijeta.
59:4.10 (679.3)
The arthropods, or crustaceans, were the ancestors of the first vertebrates. The forerunners of the fish family were two modified arthropod ancestors; one had a long body connecting a head and tail, while the other was a backboneless, jawless prefish. But these preliminary types were quickly destroyed when the fishes, the first vertebrates of the animal world, made their sudden appearance from the north.
Mnoge od najvećih pravih riba pripadaju ovom dobu; neke vrste sa zubima dosezale su duljinu od sedam do devet metara. Današnji morski psi preživjeli su potomci tih drevnih riba. Plućnjače i oklopljene ribe dosegnule su svoj evolucijski vrhunac, a prije kraja ovog razdoblja ribe su se prilagodile životu i u slatkim i u slanim vodama.
59:4.11 (679.4)
Many of the largest true fish belong to this age, some of the teeth-bearing varieties being twenty-five to thirty feet long; the present-day sharks are the survivors of these ancient fishes. The lung and armored fishes reached their evolutionary apex, and before this epoch had ended, fishes had adapted to both fresh and salt waters.
Zemlju su brzo prekrivali novi oblici kopnene vegetacije. Dotad je malo biljaka raslo na kopnu, osim uz same rubove voda. Sada se iznenada pojavila brojna porodica paprati koja se brzo proširila površinom kopna koje se diljem svijeta sve brže uzdizalo. Ubrzo su se razvili oblici nalik drveću, debeli oko šezdeset centimetara i visoki oko dvanaest metara; lišće se razvilo tek kasnije, a ove rane vrste imale su samo rudimentarno lišće. Bilo je i mnogo manjih biljaka, ali njihovi se fosili ne mogu pronaći zbog djelovanja već postojećih bakterija.
59:4.13 (679.6)
The earth was being rapidly overrun by the new orders of land vegetation. Heretofore few plants grew on land except about the water’s edge. Now, and suddenly, the prolific fern family appeared and quickly spread over the face of the rapidly rising land in all parts of the world. Tree types, two feet thick and forty feet high, soon developed; later on, leaves evolved, but these early varieties had only rudimentary foliage. There were many smaller plants, but their fossils are not found since they were usually destroyed by the still earlier appearing bacteria.
Prije 240 milijuna godina kopno na dijelovima Europe te Sjeverne i Južne Amerike počelo se spuštati. Ovo spuštanje označilo je pojavu posljednje i najmanje opsežne devonske poplave. Arktička mora ponovno su se spustila prema jugu preko velikog dijela Sjeverne Amerike, Atlantski ocean preplavio je velik dio Europe i zapadne Azije, dok je južni Pacifik prekrio veći dio Indije. Ovo je potapanje nastupalo polako, a jednako se tako polako i povlačilo. Planine Catskill duž zapadne obale rijeke Hudson predstavljaju jedan od najvećih geoloških spomenika ovog razdoblja koji se mogu vidjeti na površini Sjeverne Amerike.
59:4.15 (679.8)
240,000,000 years ago the land over parts of both Europe and North and South America began to sink. This subsidence marked the appearance of the last and least extensive of the Devonian floods. The arctic seas again moved southward over much of North America, the Atlantic inundated a large part of Europe and western Asia, while the southern Pacific covered most of India. This inundation was slow in appearing and equally slow in retreating. The Catskill Mountains along the west bank of the Hudson River are one of the largest geologic monuments of this epoch to be found on the surface of North America.
Prije 230 milijuna godina mora su se nastavila povlačiti. Velik dio Sjeverne Amerike bio je iznad razine mora, a u području rijeke Svetog Lovre odvijala se snažna vulkanska aktivnost. Mount Royal kod Montreala erodirani je vulkanski vrat jednog od tih vulkana. Naslage iz čitavog ovog razdoblja dobro su vidljive u Apalačkom gorju Sjeverne Amerike, gdje je rijeka Susquehanna usjekla dolinu koja otkriva čitav niz slojeva, čija je ukupna debljina premašivala 4000 metara.
59:4.16 (679.9)
230,000,000 years ago the seas were continuing their retreat. Much of North America was above water, and great volcanic activity occurred in the St. Lawrence region. Mount Royal, at Montreal, is the eroded neck of one of these volcanoes. The deposits of this entire epoch are well shown in the Appalachian Mountains of North America where the Susquehanna River has cut a valley exposing these successive layers, which attained a thickness of over 13,000 feet.
59:4.17 (680.1)
The elevation of the continents proceeded, and the atmosphere was becoming enriched with oxygen. The earth was overspread by vast forests of ferns one hundred feet high and by the peculiar trees of those days, silent forests; not a sound was heard, not even the rustle of a leaf, for such trees had no leaves.
Nedugo zatim središnji dio Sjeverne Amerike bio je potopljen, stvarajući dva velika unutarnja mora. Obalna uzvišenja Atlantskog i Tihog oceana nalazila su se neposredno iza današnjih obalnih linija. Ta su se dva mora uskoro spojila, miješajući svoje različite oblike života, a sjedinjenje tih morskih fauna označilo je početak brzog i svjetski rasprostranjenog opadanja morskog života te početak kasnijeg razdoblja kopnenog života.
59:5.3 (680.5)
Shortly thereafter the central portion of North America was inundated, creating two great inland seas. Both the Atlantic and Pacific coastal highlands were situated just beyond the present shore lines. These two seas presently united, commingling their different forms of life, and the union of these marine fauna marked the beginning of the rapid and world-wide decline in marine life and the opening of the subsequent land-life period.
Kad su mora dosegnula svoj najveći opseg, iznenada se dogodio novi evolucijski razvoj. Naglo su se pojavile prve kopnene životinje. Postojale su brojne vrste tih životinja koje su mogle živjeti i na kopnu i u vodi. Ti vodozemci koji su disali zrak razvili su se iz člankonožaca, čiji su se plivaći mjehuri evoluirali u pluća.
59:5.5 (680.7)
When the seas were at their height, a new evolutionary development suddenly occurred. Abruptly, the first of the land animals appeared. There were numerous species of these animals that were able to live on land or in water. These air-breathing amphibians developed from the arthropods, whose swim bladders had evolved into lungs.
Ubrzo nakon toga pojavili su se prvi kukci i zajedno s paucima, škorpionima, žoharima, cvrčcima i skakavcima ubrzo su se proširili kontinentima svijeta. Raspon krila vilinih konjica dosezao je sedamdeset i pet centimetara. Razvilo se tisuću vrsta žohara, a neki su narasli do deset centimetara duljine.
59:5.7 (680.9)
Very soon thereafter the insects first appeared and, together with spiders, scorpions, cockroaches, crickets, and locusts, soon overspread the continents of the world. Dragon flies measured thirty inches across. One thousand species of cockroaches developed, and some grew to be four inches long.
Dvije skupine bodljikaša postale su osobito dobro razvijene i one su zapravo vodeći fosili ovog razdoblja. Veliki morski psi koji su se hranili oklopnjačama također su bili vrlo razvijeni, a više od pet milijuna godina vladali su oceanima. Klima je i dalje bila blaga i ujednačena; morski se život malo promijenio. Slatkovodne ribe nastavile su se razvijati, a trilobiti su se približavali izumiranju. Koralji su bili rijetki, a velik dio vapnenca stvarali su krinoidi. Najkvalitetniji građevni vapnenci taloženi su tijekom ovog razdoblja.
59:5.8 (680.10)
Two groups of echinoderms became especially well developed, and they are in reality the guide fossils of this epoch. The large shell-feeding sharks were also highly evolved, and for more than five million years they dominated the oceans. The climate was still mild and equable; the marine life was little changed. Fresh-water fish were developing and the trilobites were nearing extinction. Corals were scarce, and much of the limestone was being made by the crinoids. The finer building limestones were laid down during this epoch.
59:5.9 (681.1)
The waters of many of the inland seas were so heavily charged with lime and other minerals as greatly to interfere with the progress and development of many marine species. Eventually the seas cleared up as the result of an extensive stone deposit, in some places containing zinc and lead.
Naslage iz ovog ranog karbonskog razdoblja debele su od približno 150 do 600 metara, a sastoje se od pješčenjaka, škriljevca i vapnenca. Najstariji slojevi sadrže fosile kopnenih i morskih životinja i biljaka, zajedno s mnogo šljunka i bazenskih sedimenata. U tim se starijim slojevima nalazi malo iskoristivog ugljena. Ove su naslage diljem Europe vrlo slične onima koje su nastale u Sjevernoj Americi.
59:5.10 (681.2)
The deposits of this early Carboniferous age are from 500 to 2,000 feet thick, consisting of sandstone, shale, and limestone. The oldest strata yield the fossils of both land and marine animals and plants, along with much gravel and basin sediments. Little workable coal is found in these older strata. These depositions throughout Europe are very similar to those laid down over North America.
Pred kraj ovog razdoblja kopno Sjeverne Amerike počelo se uzdizati. Nastupio je kratkotrajni prekid, nakon čega se more vratilo i ponovno prekrilo oko polovicu svojih prijašnjih područja. To je potapanje bilo kratkog vijeka i većina je kopna ubrzo ponovno bila znatno iznad razine mora. Južna Amerika još je uvijek bila povezana s Europom preko Afrike.
59:5.11 (681.3)
Toward the close of this epoch the land of North America began to rise. There was a short interruption, and the sea returned to cover about half of its previous beds. This was a short inundation, and most of the land was soon well above water. South America was still connected with Europe by way of Africa.
Prije 200 milijuna godina započele su doista aktivne faze karbonskog razdoblja. Tijekom dvadeset milijuna godina prije toga taložile su se ranije naslage ugljena, ali sada su bili u tijeku mnogo opsežniji procesi njegova nastanka. Razdoblje stvarnog taloženja ugljena trajalo je nešto više od dvadeset i pet milijuna godina.
59:5.13 (681.5)
200,000,000 years ago the really active stages of the Carboniferous period began. For twenty million years prior to this time the earlier coal deposits were being laid down, but now the more extensive coal-formation activities were in process. The length of the actual coal-deposition epoch was a little over twenty-five million years.
Kopno se povremeno uzdizalo i spuštalo zbog promjena razine mora uzrokovanih procesima na oceanskom dnu. Ta nestabilnost zemljine kore — spuštanje i uzdizanje kopna — zajedno s bujnom vegetacijom obalnih močvara pridonijela je stvaranju golemih naslaga ugljena, po čemu je ovo razdoblje i dobilo naziv karbonsko doba. Klima je i dalje bila blaga diljem svijeta.
59:5.14 (681.6)
The land was periodically going up and down due to the shifting sea level occasioned by activities on the ocean bottoms. This crustal uneasiness—the settling and rising of the land—in connection with the prolific vegetation of the coastal swamps, contributed to the production of extensive coal deposits, which have caused this period to be known as the Carboniferous. And the climate was still mild the world over.
Slojevi ugljena izmjenjuju se sa slojevima škriljevca, kamena i konglomerata. Ti ugljeni slojevi u središnjem i istočnom dijelu Sjedinjenih Država debeli su od dvanaest do petnaest metara. Međutim, mnoge od tih naslaga bile su odnesene tijekom kasnijih izdizanja kopna. U pojedinim dijelovima Sjeverne Amerike i Europe ugljenonosni slojevi dosežu debljinu od 5500 metara.
59:5.15 (681.7)
The coal layers alternate with shale, stone, and conglomerate. These coal beds over central and eastern United States vary in thickness from forty to fifty feet. But many of these deposits were washed away during subsequent land elevations. In some parts of North America and Europe the coal-bearing strata are 18,000 feet in thickness.
Prisutnost korijenja drveća koje je raslo u glini ispod današnjih ugljenih slojeva dokazuje da je ugljen nastao upravo ondje gdje se danas nalazi. Ugljen predstavlja ostatke bujne vegetacije koja je rasla u močvarama i uz rubove močvarnih područja tog davnog doba, a koje su sačuvali voda te preobrazili tlak i vrijeme. Slojevi ugljena često sadrže i plin i naftu. Tresetišta, ostaci negdašnje vegetacije, pod odgovarajućim tlakom i toplinom pretvorila bi se u ugljen. Antracit je bio izložen većem tlaku i višoj temperaturi nego druge vrste ugljena.
59:5.16 (681.8)
The presence of roots of trees as they grew in the clay underlying the present coal beds demonstrates that coal was formed exactly where it is now found. Coal is the water-preserved and pressure-modified remains of the rank vegetation growing in the bogs and on the swamp shores of this faraway age. Coal layers often hold both gas and oil. Peat beds, the remains of past vegetable growth, would be converted into a type of coal if subjected to proper pressure and heat. Anthracite has been subjected to more pressure and heat than other coal.
U Sjevernoj Americi broj ugljenih slojeva u različitim ležištima, koji ukazuje na broj uzastopnih spuštanja i uzdizanja kopna, kreće se od deset u Illinoisu, preko dvadeset u Pennsylvaniji i trideset pet u Alabami, pa sve do sedamdeset i pet u Kanadi. U ugljenim slojevima nalaze se fosili slatkovodnih i morskih organizama.
Tijekom cijelog ovog razdoblja planine Sjeverne i Južne Amerike bile su aktivne; uzdizali su se i Andi i južni preci Stjenjaka. Velika atlantska i pacifička obalna uzvišenja počela su tonuti te su naposljetku bila toliko erodirana i potopljena da su se obalne linije oba oceana povukle približno na svoje današnje položaje. Naslage nastale tijekom ovog potapanja prosječno su debele oko 300 metara.
59:5.18 (682.1)
Throughout this epoch the mountains of North and South America were active, both the Andes and the southern ancestral Rocky Mountains rising. The great Atlantic and Pacific high coastal regions began to sink, eventually becoming so eroded and submerged that the coast lines of both oceans withdrew to approximately their present positions. The deposits of this inundation average about one thousand feet in thickness.
Prije 190 milijuna godina karbonsko more Sjeverne Amerike proširilo se prema zapadu preko područja današnjih Stjenjaka, s izlazom prema Tihom oceanu kroz sjevernu Kaliforniju. Ugljen se nastavio taložiti diljem Amerika i Europe, sloj po sloj, dok su se obalna područja uzdizala i spuštala tijekom ovih razdoblja kolebanja morske obale.
59:5.19 (682.2)
190,000,000 years ago witnessed a westward extension of the North American Carboniferous sea over the present Rocky Mountain region, with an outlet to the Pacific Ocean through northern California. Coal continued to be laid down throughout the Americas and Europe, layer upon layer, as the coastlands rose and fell during these ages of seashore oscillations.
Prije 180 milijuna godina završilo je karbonsko razdoblje tijekom kojeg se ugljen stvarao diljem svijeta — u Europi, Indiji, Kini, sjevernoj Africi i Amerikama. Na kraju razdoblja stvaranja ugljena Sjeverna Amerika istočno od doline Mississippija uzdigla se, a veći dio tog područja od tada je ostao iznad razine mora. Ovo razdoblje izdizanja kopna označava početak suvremenih planina Sjeverne Amerike, kako u području Apalača tako i na zapadu. Vulkani su bili aktivni na Aljasci i u Kaliforniji te u planinskim područjima Europe i Azije. Istočna Amerika i zapadna Europa bile su povezane kontinentom Grenlanda.
59:5.20 (682.3)
180,000,000 years ago brought the close of the Carboniferous period, during which coal had been formed all over the world—in Europe, India, China, North Africa, and the Americas. At the close of the coal-formation period North America east of the Mississippi valley rose, and most of this section has ever since remained above the sea. This land-elevation period marks the beginning of the modern mountains of North America, both in the Appalachian regions and in the west. Volcanoes were active in Alaska and California and in the mountain-forming regions of Europe and Asia. Eastern America and western Europe were connected by the continent of Greenland.
59:5.23 (682.6)
In general, these were the epochs of development for fresh-water organisms; little change occurred in the previous marine life. But the important characteristic of this period was the sudden appearance of the frogs and their many cousins. The life features of the coal age were ferns and frogs.
Ovo je bilo doba velikog osiromašenja života. Tisuće morskih vrsta izumrle su, a život još nije bio čvrsto uspostavljen na kopnu. Bilo je to vrijeme biološkog stradanja, doba kada je život gotovo nestao s lica Zemlje i iz oceanskih dubina. Pred kraj dugog razdoblja morskog života na Zemlji je postojalo više od sto tisuća vrsta živih bića. Na kraju ovog prijelaznog razdoblja preživjelo ih je manje od pet stotina.
59:6.2 (682.8)
This age was one of great life impoverishment. Thousands of marine species perished, and life was hardly yet established on land. This was a time of biologic tribulation, the age when life nearly vanished from the face of the earth and from the depths of the oceans. Toward the close of the long marine-life era there were more than one hundred thousand species of living things on earth. At the close of this period of transition less than five hundred had survived.
Osobitosti ovog novog razdoblja nisu bile toliko posljedica hlađenja Zemljine kore ili dugotrajnog izostanka vulkanske aktivnosti koliko neobične kombinacije već postojećih i uobičajenih utjecaja — povlačenja mora i sve većeg izdizanja golemih kopnenih masa. U ovo vrijeme nestaje blaga morska klima koja je obilježavala prijašnja razdoblja, a na njezino mjesto stupa oštrija kontinentalna klima.
59:6.3 (682.9)
The peculiarities of this new period were not due so much to the cooling of the earth’s crust or to the long absence of volcanic action as to an unusual combination of commonplace and pre-existing influences—restrictions of the seas and increasing elevation of enormous land masses. The mild marine climate of former times was disappearing, and the harsher continental type of weather was fast developing.
Prije 170 milijuna godina velike evolucijske promjene i prilagodbe odvijale su se diljem Zemlje. Kopno se uzdizalo širom svijeta dok su se oceanska dna spuštala. Pojavili su se izdvojeni planinski lanci. Istočni dio Sjeverne Amerike bio je visoko iznad razine mora; zapadni se dio polako uzdizao. Kontinenti su bili prekriveni velikim i malim slanim jezerima te brojnim unutarnjim morima koja su s oceanima bila povezana uskim tjesnacima. Slojevi iz ovog prijelaznog razdoblja dosežu debljinu od približno 300 do 2100 metara.
59:6.4 (683.1)
170,000,000 years ago great evolutionary changes and adjustments were taking place over the entire face of the earth. Land was rising all over the world as the ocean beds were sinking. Isolated mountain ridges appeared. The eastern part of North America was high above the sea; the west was slowly rising. The continents were covered by great and small salt lakes and numerous inland seas which were connected with the oceans by narrow straits. The strata of this transition period vary in thickness from 1,000 to 7,000 feet.
Postupno dolazi do sušenja unutarnjih jezera i mora. Počeli su se pojavljivati izdvojeni planinski i regionalni ledenjaci, osobito na južnoj hemisferi, a u mnogim se područjima ledenjačke naslage tih lokalnih ledenih formacija mogu pronaći čak i među nekim od gornjih i mlađih ugljenih naslaga. Pojavila su se dva nova klimatska čimbenika — glacijacija i sušnost. Mnogi visinski predjeli postaju suhi i neplodni.
59:6.6 (683.3)
Gradually the inland lakes and seas were drying up all over the world. Isolated mountain and regional glaciers began to appear, especially over the Southern Hemisphere, and in many regions the glacial deposit of these local ice formations may be found even among some of the upper and later coal deposits. Two new climatic factors appeared—glaciation and aridity. Many of the earth’s higher regions had become arid and barren.
Tijekom ovog razdoblja klimatskih promjena dolazi i do velikih promjena među kopnenim biljkama. Po prvi put pojavljuju se sjemenjače koje osiguravaju bolji izvor hrane za kasniji razvoj kopnenog životinjskog svijeta. Kukci prolaze kroz korjenite promjene. Razvijaju se stadiji mirovanja kako bi odgovorili zahtjevima privremene obustave životnih aktivnosti tijekom zime i suše.
59:6.7 (683.4)
Throughout these times of climatic change, great variations also occurred in the land plants. The seed plants first appeared, and they afforded a better food supply for the subsequently increased land-animal life. The insects underwent a radical change. The resting stages evolved to meet the demands of suspended animation during winter and drought.
Među kopnenim životinjama žabe su već dosegle vrhunac razvoja i u ovom razdoblju naglo nazaduju, ali se uspijevaju održati zahvaljujući sposobnosti opstanka u presušujućim bazenima i ribnjacima tih davnih i iznimno teških vremena. Tijekom ovog razdoblja obilježenog nazadovanjem žaba, u Africi dolazi do prvog koraka u njihovoj evoluciji prema gmazovima. Budući da su kopnene mase još uvijek bile povezane, ovaj rani oblik gmaza koji je disao na pluća proširio se cijelim svijetom. Do tada se atmosfera toliko izmijenila da je pružala izvrsne uvjete za plućno disanje. Nedugo nakon pojave tih ranih gmazova nastalih iz žaba, Sjeverna Amerika privremeno se odvojila od Europe, Azije i Južne Amerike.
59:6.8 (683.5)
Among the land animals the frogs reached their climax in the preceding age and rapidly declined, but they survived because they could long live even in the drying-up pools and ponds of these far-distant and extremely trying times. During this declining frog age, in Africa, the first step in the evolution of the frog into the reptile occurred. And since the land masses were still connected, this prereptilian creature, an air breather, spread over all the world. By this time the atmosphere had been so changed that it served admirably to support animal respiration. It was soon after the arrival of these prereptilian frogs that North America was temporarily isolated, cut off from Europe, Asia, and South America.
Postupno hlađenje oceanskih voda znatno je pridonijelo uništenju oceanskog života. Morske životinje tih doba privremeno su pronašle utočište u tri povoljna područja: današnjem području Meksičkog zaljeva, Bengalskom zaljevu u Indiji i Sicilskom zaljevu sredozemnog bazena. Upravo su iz ta tri područja nove morske vrste, rođene u nedaćama, kasnije krenule obnoviti mora.
59:6.9 (683.6)
The gradual cooling of the ocean waters contributed much to the destruction of oceanic life. The marine animals of those ages took temporary refuge in three favorable retreats: the present Gulf of Mexico region, the Ganges Bay of India, and the Sicilian Bay of the Mediterranean basin. And it was from these three regions that the new marine species, born to adversity, later went forth to replenish the seas.
Prije 160 milijuna godina kopno je uglavnom bilo prekriveno vegetacijom prilagođenom održavanju kopnenog životinjskog života, a atmosfera je postala idealna za životinjsko disanje. Time završava razdoblje sužavanja morskog života i ona vremena biološkog stradanja koja su uklonila sve oblike života osim onih koji su posjedovali vrijednost opstanka te su stoga bili pozvani poslužiti kao preci brže razvijajućih i visoko diferenciranih oblika života kasnijih doba planetarne evolucije.
59:6.10 (683.7)
160,000,000 years ago the land was largely covered with vegetation adapted to support land-animal life, and the atmosphere had become ideal for animal respiration. Thus ends the period of marine-life curtailment and those testing times of biologic adversity which eliminated all forms of life except such as had survival value, and which were therefore entitled to function as the ancestors of the more rapidly developing and highly differentiated life of the ensuing ages of planetary evolution.
Golema oceanska kolijevka života na Urantiji ispunila je svoju svrhu. Tijekom dugih razdoblja kada kopno još nije bilo prikladno za održavanje života, prije nego što je atmosfera sadržavala dovoljno kisika za opstanak viših kopnenih životinja, more je bilo majka i hranitelj ranih oblika života ovog svijeta. Postupno se smanjuje biološki značaj mora dok se druga faza evolucije života odvija na kopnu.
59:6.12 (684.2)
The vast oceanic nursery of life on Urantia has served its purpose. During the long ages when the land was unsuited to support life, before the atmosphere contained sufficient oxygen to sustain the higher land animals, the sea mothered and nurtured the early life of the realm. Now the biologic importance of the sea progressively diminishes as the second stage of evolution begins to unfold on the land.