Knjiga Urantije
DIO III. Povijest Urantije
POGLAVLJE 61 : ERA SISAVACA NA URANTIJI
Sekcije
- Uvod
- § 1. NOVA KONTINENTALNA KOPNENA FAZA - DOBA RANIH SISAVACA
- § 2. SKORIJA POPLAVNA FAZA - DOBA NAPREDNIH SISAVACA
- § 3. SUVREMENA PLANINSKA FAZA - DOBA SLONA I KONJA
- § 4. SKORIJA FAZA KONTINENTALNOG UZDIZANJA -
POSLJEDNJA VELIKA MIGRACIJA SISAVACA - § 5. RANO LEDENO DOBA
- § 6. PRIMITIVNI ČOVJEK U LEDENOM DOBU
- § 7. NASTAVAK LEDENOG DOBA
Paper 61
The Mammalian Era on Urantia
The Mammalian Era on Urantia
Sections
- Introduction
- § 1. The New Continental Land Stage The Age of Early Mammals
- § 2. The Recent Flood StageThe Age of Advanced Mammals
- § 3. The Modern Mountain StageAge of the Elephant and the Horse
- § 4. The Recent Continental-Elevation StageThe Last Great Mammalian Migration
- § 5. The Early Ice Age
- § 6. Primitive Man in the Ice Age
- § 7. The Continuing Ice Age
Tijekom ovog kenozojskog doba svjetski je krajolik imao vrlo privlačan izgled — valoviti brežuljci, prostrane doline, široke rijeke i velike šume. Dvaput tijekom ovog razdoblja Panamska prevlaka se uzdigla i ponovno potonula; tri puta je kopneni most Beringovog tjesnaca učinio isto. Životinjske vrste bile su mnogobrojne i raznolike. Stabla su vrvjela pticama, a cijeli je svijet bio životinjski raj usprkos stalnoj borbi evoluirajućih životinjskih vrsta za prevlast.
61:0.2 (693.2)
During this Cenozoic age the world’s landscape presented an attractive appearance—rolling hills, broad valleys, wide rivers, and great forests. Twice during this sector of time the Panama isthmus went up and down; three times the Bering Strait land bridge did the same. The animal types were both many and varied. The trees swarmed with birds, and the whole world was an animal paradise, notwithstanding the incessant struggle of the evolving animal species for supremacy.
Prije pedeset milijuna godina kopnena područja svijeta uglavnom su bila iznad vode ili tek neznatno potopljena. Formacije i naslage ovog razdoblja bile su i kopnene i morske, ali pretežno kopnene. Tijekom duljeg vremena kopno se postupno uzdizalo, ali je istodobno bilo ispirano prema nižim predjelima i morima.
61:1.1 (693.4)
50,000,000 years ago the land areas of the world were very generally above water or only slightly submerged. The formations and deposits of this period are both land and marine, but chiefly land. For a considerable time the land gradually rose but was simultaneously washed down to the lower levels and toward the seas.
Rano u tom razdoblju i to u Sjevernoj Americi iznenada se pojavio placentalni tip sisavaca, koji je predstavljao najznačajniji evolucijski razvoj do tog vremena. Prethodno su postojali redovi neplacentalnih sisavaca, ali ovaj novi tip pojavio se izravno i iznenada iz već postojećeg reptilskog pretka čiji su potomci opstali sve do razdoblja propadanja dinosaura. Otac placentalnih sisavaca bio je mali, vrlo aktivan, dvonožni mesožder iz reda dinosaura.
61:1.2 (693.5)
Early in this period and in North America the placental type of mammals suddenly appeared, and they constituted the most important evolutionary development up to this time. Previous orders of nonplacental mammals had existed, but this new type sprang directly and suddenly from the pre-existent reptilian ancestor whose descendants had persisted on down through the times of dinosaur decline. The father of the placental mammals was a small, highly active, carnivorous, springing type of dinosaur.
Prije 45 milijuna godina kontinentalne okosnice bile su uzdignute, dok je istodobno došlo do općeg potapanja obalnih područja. Život sisavaca brzo se razvijao. Mala reptilska vrsta sisavaca koja je polagala jaja iznimno je napredovala, dok su preci kasnijih klokana lutali Australijom. Ubrzo su se pojavili mali konji, brzonogi nosorozi, tapiri s rilom, primitivne svinje, vjeverice, lemuri, oposumi i nekoliko plemena majmunolikih životinja. Svi su bili mali, primitivni i najbolje prilagođeni životu među šumama planinskih područja. Velike kopnene ptice nalik nojevima dosegle su visinu od tri metra i lijegale jaja široka dvadeset tri i duga trideset tri centimetra. To su bili preci kasnijih golemih putničkih ptica koje su bile toliko inteligentne da su nekoć prenosile ljude zrakom.
61:1.9 (694.1)
45,000,000 years ago the continental backbones were elevated in association with a very general sinking of the coast lines. Mammalian life was evolving rapidly. A small reptilian, egg-laying type of mammal flourished, and the ancestors of the later kangaroos roamed Australia. Soon there were small horses, fleet-footed rhinoceroses, tapirs with proboscises, primitive pigs, squirrels, lemurs, opossums, and several tribes of monkeylike animals. They were all small, primitive, and best suited to living among the forests of the mountain regions. A large ostrichlike land bird developed to a height of ten feet and laid an egg nine by thirteen inches. These were the ancestors of the later gigantic passenger birds that were so highly intelligent, and that onetime transported human beings through the air.
Sisavci ranog kenozoika živjeli su na kopnu, pod vodom, u zraku i među krošnjama drveća. Imali su od jednog do jedanaest pari mliječnih žlijezda i svi su bili prekriveni znatnom količinom dlake. Kao i kasnije nastali redovi, razvili su dva uzastopna niza zuba i posjedovali velike mozgove u odnosu na veličinu tijela. Ali među njima još nije postojao nijedan suvremeni oblik.
61:1.10 (694.2)
The mammals of the early Cenozoic lived on land, under the water, in the air, and among the treetops. They had from one to eleven pairs of mammary glands, and all were covered with considerable hair. In common with the later appearing orders, they developed two successive sets of teeth and possessed large brains in comparison to body size. But among them all no modern forms existed.
Tijekom kasnijeg dijela ove epohe veći dio Europe bio je potopljen. Nakon blagog uzdizanja kopna kontinent je bio prekriven jezerima i uvalama. Arktički ocean je preko Uralske depresije na jugu bio povezan sa Sredozemnim morem koje se tada širilo prema sjeveru, dok su gorja Alpa, Karpata, Apenina i Pireneja stršala iznad vode poput morskih otoka. Panamska prevlaka bila je izronila; Atlantski i Tihi ocean bili su odvojeni. Sjeverna Amerika bila je povezana s Azijom kopnenim mostom Beringovog tjesnaca i s Europom putem Grenlanda i Islanda. Kopneni pojas zemlje u sjevernim geografskim širinama bio je prekinut jedino na Uralu, koji je povezivao Arktička mora s proširenim Sredozemljem.
61:1.12 (694.4)
During the latter part of this epoch most of Europe was submerged. Following a slight land rise the continent was covered by lakes and bays. The Arctic Ocean, through the Ural depression, ran south to connect with the Mediterranean Sea as it was then expanded northward, the highlands of the Alps, Carpathians, Apennines, and Pyrenees being up above the water as islands of the sea. The Isthmus of Panama was up; the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans were separated. North America was connected with Asia by the Bering Strait land bridge and with Europe by way of Greenland and Iceland. The earth circuit of land in northern latitudes was broken only by the Ural Straits, which connected the arctic seas with the enlarged Mediterranean.
Znatne naslage foraminiferskog vapnenca nataložene su u europskim vodama. Danas je taj isti kamen uzdignut do visine od tri tisuće metara u Alpama, gotovo pet tisuća metara na Himalaji i šest tisuća metara u Tibetu. Naslage krede iz ovog razdoblja nalaze se duž obala Afrike i Australije, na zapadnoj obali Južne Amerike te oko Kariba.
61:1.13 (694.5)
Considerable foraminiferal limestone was deposited in European waters. Today this same stone is elevated to a height of 10,000 feet in the Alps, 16,000 feet in the Himalayas, and 20,000 feet in Tibet. The chalk deposits of this period are found along the coasts of Africa and Australia, on the west coast of South America, and about the West Indies.
61:1.14 (694.6)
Throughout this so-called Eocene period the evolution of mammalian and other related forms of life continued with little or no interruption. North America was then connected by land with every continent except Australia, and the world was gradually overrun by primitive mammalian fauna of various types.
Iako su rani placentalni sisavci nastali iz mesožderskih predaka, vrlo brzo razvile su se biljožderske grane, a uskoro su se pojavile i svežderske obitelji sisavaca. Kritosjemenjače su bile glavna hrana brzo rastućeg broja sisavaca, dok se suvremena kopnena flora, uključujući većinu današnjih biljaka i stabala, pojavila tijekom ranijih razdoblja.
61:2.2 (694.8)
Although the early placental mammals sprang from carnivorous ancestors, very soon herbivorous branches developed, and, erelong, omnivorous mammalian families also sprang up. The angiosperms were the principal food of the rapidly increasing mammals, the modern land flora, including the majority of present-day plants and trees, having appeared during earlier periods.
Prije 35 milijuna godina započinje doba svjetske dominacije placentalnih sisavaca. Južni kopneni most bio je proširen, ponovno povezujući golemi antarktički kontinent s Južnom Amerikom, južnom Afrikom i Australijom. Unatoč masivnom nakupljanju kopna u visokim geografskim širinama, svjetska klima i dalje je bila relativno blaga zbog ogromnog povećanja tropskih mora, a kopno nije bilo dovoljno uzdignuto da bi omogućilo stvaranje ledenjaka. Opsežni tokovi lave pojavili su se na Grenlandu i Islandu, dok su se između tih slojeva nataložili određeni slojevi ugljena.
61:2.3 (695.1)
35,000,000 years ago marks the beginning of the age of placental-mammalian world domination. The southern land bridge was extensive, reconnecting the then enormous Antarctic continent with South America, South Africa, and Australia. In spite of the massing of land in high latitudes, the world climate remained relatively mild because of the enormous increase in the size of the tropic seas, nor was the land elevated sufficiently to produce glaciers. Extensive lava flows occurred in Greenland and Iceland, some coal being deposited between these layers.
Bitne promjene odvijale su se u fauni planeta. Morski život prolazio je kroz velike preobrazbe; većina današnjih vrsta morskog života već je postojala, a foraminifere su i dalje igrale važnu ulogu. Kukci su ostali uglavnom nepromijenjeni u odnosu na prethodno razdoblje. Fosilni slojevi Florissanta u Koloradu pripadaju kasnijim godinama ovog dalekog doba. Većina suvremenih porodica kukaca vuče porijeklo iz tog razdoblja, ali mnoge tada postojeće vrste danas su izumrle, premda su njihovi fosili ostali sačuvani.
61:2.4 (695.2)
Marked changes were taking place in the fauna of the planet. The sea life was undergoing great modification; most of the present-day orders of marine life were in existence, and foraminifers continued to play an important role. The insect life was much like that of the previous era. The Florissant fossil beds of Colorado belong to the later years of these far-distant times. Most of the living insect families go back to this period, but many then in existence are now extinct, though their fossils remain.
Na kopnu je to prije svega bilo doba obnove i širenja sisavaca. Od ranijih i primitivnijih sisavaca više od sto vrsta izumrlo je prije završetka tog razdoblja. Čak su i veliki sisavci s malim mozgom uskoro nestali. Mozak i okretnost zauzeli su mjesto oklopa i veličine kao presudni čimbenici u razvoju životinjskog opstanka. A s propadanjem porodice dinosaura sisavci su polako preuzimali dominaciju nad zemljom te brzo i potpuno uništavali ostatke svojih reptilskih predaka.
61:2.5 (695.3)
On land this was pre-eminently the age of mammalian renovation and expansion. Of the earlier and more primitive mammals, over one hundred species were extinct before this period ended. Even the mammals of large size and small brain soon perished. Brains and agility had replaced armor and size in the progress of animal survival. And with the dinosaur family on the decline, the mammals slowly assumed domination of the earth, speedily and completely destroying the remainder of their reptilian ancestors.
61:2.6 (695.4)
Along with the disappearance of the dinosaurs, other and great changes occurred in the various branches of the saurian family. The surviving members of the early reptilian families are turtles, snakes, and crocodiles, together with the venerable frog, the only remaining group representative of man’s earlier ancestors.
Različite skupine sisavaca vuku porijeklo od jedne jedinstvene životinje koja je danas izumrla. To mesoždersko stvorenje bilo je nešto poput križanca mačke i tuljana; moglo je živjeti i na kopnu i u vodi te je bilo vrlo inteligentno i iznimno aktivno. U Europi je evoluirao predak pseće porodice, što je uskoro dovelo do pojave mnogih vrsta malih pasa. Otprilike u isto vrijeme pojavili su se glodavci, uključujući dabrove, vjeverice, hrčke, miševe i zečeve, i ubrzo postali značajan oblik života koji se od tada vrlo malo promijenio. Kasnije naslage tog razdoblja sadrže fosilne ostatke pasa, mačaka, rakuna i lasica u njihovim ranim oblicima.
61:2.7 (695.5)
Various groups of mammals had their origin in a unique animal now extinct. This carnivorous creature was something of a cross between a cat and a seal; it could live on land or in water and was highly intelligent and very active. In Europe the ancestor of the canine family evolved, soon giving rise to many species of small dogs. About the same time the gnawing rodents, including beavers, squirrels, gophers, mice, and rabbits, appeared and soon became a notable form of life, very little change having since occurred in this family. The later deposits of this period contain the fossil remains of dogs, cats, coons, and weasels in ancestral form.
Prije 30 milijuna godina počele su se pojavljivati moderne vrste sisavaca. Raniji sisavci većinom su živjeli u brdima, budući da su bili planinskog tipa; iznenada dolazi do razvoja ravničarskih ili kopitarnih tipova, vrsta koje pasu, za razliku od mesoždera s kandžama. Ovi preživači potekli su od nediferenciranih predaka koji su imali pet prstiju i četrdeset četiri zuba, a koji su izumrli prije kraja ovog doba. Evolucija nožnih prstiju tijekom ovog razdoblja nije napredovala dalje od stadija s tri prsta.
61:2.8 (695.6)
30,000,000 years ago the modern types of mammals began to make their appearance. Formerly the mammals had lived for the greater part in the hills, being of the mountainous types; suddenly there began the evolution of the plains or hoofed type, the grazing species, as differentiated from the clawed flesh eaters. These grazers sprang from an undifferentiated ancestor having five toes and forty-four teeth, which perished before the end of the age. Toe evolution did not progress beyond the three-toed stage throughout this period.
Konj, izvanredan primjer evolucije, živio je tijekom tog vremena u Sjevernoj Americi i Europi, iako njegov razvoj nije bio u potpunosti dovršen sve do kasnijeg ledenog doba. Premda se porodica nosoroga pojavila krajem ovog razdoblja, svoje najveće širenje doživjela je tek kasnije. Razvila se i mala životinja nalik svinji koja je postala predak mnogih vrsta svinja, pekarija i nilskih konja. Deve i ljame vuku porijeklo iz Sjeverne Amerike i otprilike sredinom ovog razdoblja proširile su se zapadnim ravnicama. Kasnije su ljame migrirale u Južnu Ameriku, deve u Europu, a ubrzo su obje vrste izumrle u Sjevernoj Americi, premda je manji broj deva opstao sve do ledenog doba.
61:2.9 (695.7)
The horse, an outstanding example of evolution, lived during these times in both North America and Europe, though his development was not fully completed until the later ice age. While the rhinoceros family appeared at the close of this period, it underwent its greatest expansion subsequently. A small hoglike creature also developed which became the ancestor of the many species of swine, peccaries, and hippopotamuses. Camels and llamas had their origin in North America about the middle of this period and overran the western plains. Later, the llamas migrated to South America, the camels to Europe, and soon both were extinct in North America, though a few camels survived up to the ice age.
61:2.10 (696.1)
About this time a notable thing occurred in western North America: The early ancestors of the ancient lemurs first made their appearance. While this family cannot be regarded as true lemurs, their coming marked the establishment of the line from which the true lemurs subsequently sprang.
61:2.11 (696.2)
Like the land serpents of a previous age which betook themselves to the seas, now a whole tribe of placental mammals deserted the land and took up their residence in the oceans. And they have ever since remained in the sea, yielding the modern whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and sea lions.
Do kraja ovog oligocenskog razdoblja, koje obuhvaća deset milijuna godina, flora i fauna mora i kopna u vrlo velikoj mjeri su se razvile i bile prisutne na Zemlji gotovo kao i danas. Značajna specijalizacija pojavila se tek naknadno, ali tada su već postojali pradavni oblici većine današnjih živih bića.
61:2.13 (696.4)
By the close of this Oligocene period, covering ten million years, the plant life, together with the marine life and the land animals, had very largely evolved and was present on earth much as today. Considerable specialization has subsequently appeared, but the ancestral forms of most living things were then alive.
Uzdizanje kopna i odvajanje mora polako su uzrokovali klimatske promjene u svijetu koje su vodile postupnom zahlađenju, ali klima je još uvijek bila blaga. Sekvoje i magnolije rasle su na Grenlandu, dok su suptropske biljke počele migrirati prema jugu. Do kraja ovog razdoblja biljke i drveće toplih krajeva u velikoj su mjeri nestali iz sjevernih geografskih širina, a njihova mjesta zauzele su otpornije biljke i listopadno drveće.
61:3.1 (696.5)
Land elevation and sea segregation were slowly changing the world’s weather, gradually cooling it, but the climate was still mild. Sequoias and magnolias grew in Greenland, but the subtropical plants were beginning to migrate southward. By the end of this period these warm-climate plants and trees had largely disappeared from the northern latitudes, their places being taken by more hardy plants and the deciduous trees.
Prije 25 milijuna godinadošlo je do neznatnog potapanja kopna nakon duge epohe kopnenog uzdizanja. Regija Stjenjaka ostala je visoko uzdignuta, tako da se taloženje erozijskog materijala nastavilo u istočnim ravnicama. Siere su ponovno bile znatno uzdignute; zapravo, od tada su u stalnom uzdizanju. Veliki vertikalni tektonski rasjed dubok šest i pol kilometara u Kaliforniji potječe iz tog vremena.
61:3.3 (696.7)
25,000,000 years ago there was a slight land submergence following the long epoch of land elevation. The Rocky Mountain region remained highly elevated so that the deposition of erosion material continued throughout the lowlands to the east. The Sierras were well re-elevated; in fact, they have been rising ever since. The great four-mile vertical fault in the California region dates from this time.
Ogromni slonovi ovog i kasnijih razdoblja imali su velike mozgove jednako kao i velika tijela i uskoro su zauzeli čitav svijet osim Australije. Svijetom su dominirale goleme životinje s mozgom dovoljno velikim da im omogući opstanak. Suočena s vrlo inteligentnim oblicima života koji su vladali u toj dobi, nijedna životinja veličine slona nije mogla preživjeti ako nije posjedovala mozak velikih dimenzija i vrhunske kvalitete. Po inteligenciji i prilagodljivosti sa slonom se mogao mjeriti jedino konj, a nadmašivao ga je samo čovjek. Čak i unatoč tome, od pedeset vrsta slonova koje su postojale na početku tog razdoblja, preživjele su samo dvije.
61:3.6 (697.1)
The huge elephants of this and subsequent periods possessed large brains as well as large bodies, and they soon overran the entire world except Australia. For once the world was dominated by a huge animal with a brain sufficiently large to enable it to carry on. Confronted by the highly intelligent life of these ages, no animal the size of an elephant could have survived unless it had possessed a brain of large size and superior quality. In intelligence and adaptation the elephant is approached only by the horse and is surpassed only by man himself. Even so, of the fifty species of elephants in existence at the opening of this period, only two have survived.
Gibraltarski tjesnac bio je zatvoren, a Španjolska povezana s Afrikom preko starog kopnenog mosta, dok se Sredozemno more ulijevalo u Atlantski ocean kroz uski kanal koji se protezao preko Francuske, pri čemu su planinski vrhovi i visoravni djelovali poput otoka iznad tog drevnog mora. Kasnije su se ta europska mora počela povlačiti. Još kasnije Sredozemno more povezalo se s Indijskim oceanom, a krajem tog razdoblja sueška regija bila je uzdignuta tako da je Sredozemlje jedno vrijeme postalo unutarnje slano more.
61:3.8 (697.3)
The Strait of Gibraltar closed, and Spain was connected with Africa by the old land bridge, but the Mediterranean flowed into the Atlantic through a narrow channel which extended across France, the mountain peaks and highlands appearing as islands above this ancient sea. Later on, these European seas began to withdraw. Still later, the Mediterranean was connected with the Indian Ocean, while at the close of this period the Suez region was elevated so that the Mediterranean became, for a time, an inland salt sea.
61:3.9 (697.4)
The Iceland land bridge submerged, and the arctic waters commingled with those of the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic coast of North America rapidly cooled, but the Pacific coast remained warmer than at present. The great ocean currents were in function and affected climate much as they do today.
Sisavci su se nastavili razvijati. Ogromnim stadima konja pridružile su se deve na zapadnim ravnicama Sjeverne Amerike; to je doista bilo doba konja jednako kao i slonova. Konjski mozak po kvaliteti je odmah iza slonovskog, ali u jednom je pogledu konj izrazito inferioran, jer nikada nije u potpunosti nadvladao duboko ukorijenjenu sklonost bijegu kada je uplašen. Konju nedostaje emocionalna kontrola slona, dok je slon uvelike ograničen svojom veličinom i nedostatkom okretnosti. Tijekom tog razdoblja razvila se životinja koja je donekle nalikovala spoju slona i konja, ali ju je ubrzo uništilo brzo širenje porodice mačaka.
61:3.10 (697.5)
Mammalian life continued to evolve. Enormous herds of horses joined the camels on the western plains of North America; this was truly the age of horses as well as of elephants. The horse’s brain is next in animal quality to that of the elephant, but in one respect it is decidedly inferior, for the horse never fully overcame the deep-seated propensity to flee when frightened. The horse lacks the emotional control of the elephant, while the elephant is greatly handicapped by size and lack of agility. During this period an animal evolved which was somewhat like both the elephant and the horse, but it was soon destroyed by the rapidly increasing cat family.
61:3.11 (697.6)
As Urantia is entering the so-called “horseless age,” you should pause and ponder what this animal meant to your ancestors. Men first used horses for food, then for travel, and later in agriculture and war. The horse has long served mankind and has played an important part in the development of human civilization.
Biološki razvoj tog razdoblja mnogo je pridonio pripremi pozornice za kasniju pojavu čovjeka. U središnjoj Aziji razvile su se prave vrste primitivnih majmuna i gorila koje su imale zajedničkog pretka, danas izumrlog. No nijedna od tih vrsta ne pripada lozi živih bića koja su kasnije postala preci ljudske rase.
61:3.12 (697.7)
The biologic developments of this period contributed much toward the setting of the stage for the subsequent appearance of man. In central Asia the true types of both the primitive monkey and the gorilla evolved, having a common ancestor, now extinct. But neither of these species is concerned in the line of living beings which were, later on, to become the ancestors of the human race.
Porodica pasa bila je zastupljena u nekoliko skupina, osobito u vukovima i lisicama; porodica mačaka u panterima i velikim sabljozubim tigrovima, od kojih su se potonji prvi razvili u Sjevernoj Americi. Suvremene porodice mačaka i pasa brojčano su se povećavale diljem svijeta. Lasice, vidre i rakuni napredovali su i razvijali se u sjevernim geografskim širinama.
61:3.13 (697.8)
The dog family was represented by several groups, notably wolves and foxes; the cat tribe, by panthers and large saber-toothed tigers, the latter first evolving in North America. The modern cat and dog families increased in numbers all over the world. Weasels, martens, otters, and raccoons thrived and developed throughout the northern latitudes.
Prije 10 milijuna godina počelo je doba rasprostranjenih lokalnih kopnenih naslaga u nizinama kontinenata, ali većina tih sedimenata kasnije je uklonjena. Veći dio Europe u to je vrijeme još uvijek bio pod vodom, uključujući dijelove Engleske, Belgije i Francuske, dok je Sredozemno more prekrivalo velik dio sjeverne Afrike. U Sjevernoj Americi taložile su se opsežne naslage u podnožjima planina, u jezerima i velikim kopnenim bazenima. Ove naslage u prosjeku su bile debele oko šezdeset metara, više ili manje obojene, a fosili su bili rijetki. Dva velika slatkovodna jezera postojala su na zapadu Sjeverne Amerike. Siere su bile u procesu uzdizanja; Shasta, Hood i Rainier počeli su se izdizati. No Sjeverna Amerika nije započela svoje sporo poniranje prema atlantskom ulegnuću sve do kasnijeg ledenog doba.
61:4.2 (698.4)
10,000,000 years ago began an age of widespread local land deposits on the lowlands of the continents, but most of these sedimentations were later removed. Much of Europe, at this time, was still under water, including parts of England, Belgium, and France, and the Mediterranean Sea covered much of northern Africa. In North America extensive depositions were made at the mountain bases, in lakes, and in the great land basins. These deposits average only about two hundred feet, are more or less colored, and fossils are rare. Two great fresh-water lakes existed in western North America. The Sierras were elevating; Shasta, Hood, and Rainier were beginning their mountain careers. But it was not until the subsequent ice age that North America began its creep toward the Atlantic depression.
Nakratko se svo svjetsko kopno ponovno spojilo osim Australije, a tada je došlo do posljednje velike svjetske migracije životinja. Sjeverna Amerika bila je povezana s Južnom Amerikom i Azijom te je došlo do slobodne razmjene životinjskih vrsta. Azijski ljenjivci, armadilosi, antilope i medvjedi ušli su u Sjevernu Ameriku, dok su sjevernoameričke deve otišle u Kinu. Nosorozi su migrirali po cijelom svijetu osim Australije i Južne Amerike, ali su do kraja ovog razdoblja izumrli na zapadnoj hemisferi.
61:4.3 (698.5)
For a short time all the land of the world was again joined excepting Australia, and the last great world-wide animal migration took place. North America was connected with both South America and Asia, and there was a free exchange of animal life. Asiatic sloths, armadillos, antelopes, and bears entered North America, while North American camels went to China. Rhinoceroses migrated over the whole world except Australia and South America, but they were extinct in the Western Hemisphere by the close of this period.
Općenito, život iz prethodnog razdoblja nastavio se razvijati i širiti. Mačja porodica dominirala je životinjskim svijetom, a morski život bio je gotovo u mirovanju. Mnogi konji još uvijek su imali po tri nožna prsta, ali pojavljuju se suvremeni tipovi; ljame i deve nalik žirafama mogle su se vidjeti uz konje na ispašnim ravnicama. Žirafa se pojavila u Africi, s jednako dugim vratom kao i danas. U Južnoj Americi evoluirali su ljenjivci, armadilosi, mravojedi i vrsta primitivnog majmuna. Prije nego što su kontinenti konačno bili izolirani, masivni mastodonti migrirali su posvuda osim u Australiju.
61:4.4 (698.6)
In general, the life of the preceding period continued to evolve and spread. The cat family dominated the animal life, and marine life was almost at a standstill. Many of the horses were still three-toed, but the modern types were arriving; llamas and giraffelike camels mingled with the horses on the grazing plains. The giraffe appeared in Africa, having just as long a neck then as now. In South America sloths, armadillos, anteaters, and the South American type of primitive monkeys evolved. Before the continents were finally isolated, those massive animals, the mastodons, migrated everywhere except to Australia.
Klima je postupno postajala sve hladnija; kopnene biljke polako su se povlačile prema jugu. U početku je sve veća hladnoća sjevernih predjela zaustavila životinjske migracije preko sjevernih tjesnaca; kasnije su ti sjevernoamerički kopneni mostovi potonuli. Ubrzo nakon toga kopnena povezanost između Afrike i Južne Amerike konačno je potopljena, a zapadna hemisfera ostala je izolirana uglavnom kao i danas. Od tada nadalje različiti oblici života počeli su se razvijati u istočnoj i zapadnoj hemisferi.
61:4.6 (698.8)
The climate was gradually getting cooler; the land plants were slowly moving southward. At first it was the increasing cold in the north that stopped animal migrations over the northern isthmuses; subsequently these North American land bridges went down. Soon afterwards the land connection between Africa and South America finally submerged, and the Western Hemisphere was isolated much as it is today. From this time forward distinct types of life began to develop in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
Po završetku prethodnog razdoblja kopno u sjeveroistočnom dijelu Sjeverne Amerike i sjeverne Europe bilo je uzdignuto u velikim razmjerima, a u Sjevernoj Americi golema područja dosezala su i prelazila visinu od devet tisuća metara. Nekada je nad tim sjevernim krajevima prevladavala blaga klima, a arktičke vode bile su otvorene za isparavanje i ostale bez leda gotovo do završetka ledenog doba.
61:5.1 (699.2)
By the close of the preceding period the lands of the northeastern part of North America and of northern Europe were highly elevated on an extensive scale, in North America vast areas rising up to 30,000 feet and more. Mild climates had formerly prevailed over these northern regions, and the arctic waters were all open to evaporation, and they continued to be ice-free until almost the close of the glacial period.
Istodobno s tim uzdizanjem kopna došlo je do pomicanja oceanskih struja, a sezonski vjetrovi promijenili su smjer. Ovi uvjeti naposljetku su uzrokovali gotovo neprestane oborine nastale kretanjem teško zasićene atmosfere iznad sjevernih gorja. Snijeg je počeo padati na tim uzdignutim i stoga hladnim područjima i nastavio je padati sve dok nije dosegao dubinu od šest tisuća metara. Područja najdubljeg snijega, u kombinaciji s nadmorskom visinom, odredila su središnje točke kasnijih putanja glacijalnog pritiska. A ledeno doba trajalo je sve dok su te prekomjerne oborine nastavile prekrivati sjeverno gorje ovim golemim plaštom snijega koji se ubrzo pretvorio u čvrsti, ali puzajući led.
61:5.2 (699.3)
Simultaneously with these land elevations the ocean currents shifted, and the seasonal winds changed their direction. These conditions eventually produced an almost constant precipitation of moisture from the movement of the heavily saturated atmosphere over the northern highlands. Snow began to fall on these elevated and therefore cool regions, and it continued to fall until it had attained a depth of 20,000 feet. The areas of the greatest depth of snow, together with altitude, determined the central points of subsequent glacial pressure flows. And the ice age persisted just as long as this excessive precipitation continued to cover these northern highlands with this enormous mantle of snow, which soon metamorphosed into solid but creeping ice.
Veliki ledeni pokrovi tog razdoblja svi su se nalazili na povišenim visoravnima, a ne u planinskim područjima gdje se danas nalaze. Polovica ledenih masa bila je smještena u Sjevernoj Americi, četvrtina u Euroaziji, a četvrtina drugdje, najvećim dijelom na Antarktici. Afrika je bila tek neznatno zahvaćena ledom, dok je Australija bila gotovo sasvim prekrivena antarktičkim ledenim plaštom.
61:5.3 (699.4)
The great ice sheets of this period were all located on elevated highlands, not in mountainous regions where they are found today. One half of the glacial ice was in North America, one fourth in Eurasia, and one fourth elsewhere, chiefly in Antarctica. Africa was little affected by the ice, but Australia was almost covered with the antarctic ice blanket.
Sjeverne regije ovoga svijeta doživjele su šest odvojenih i različitih ledenih navala, iako je bilo više desetaka napredovanja i povlačenja povezanih s djelovanjem svakog pojedinog ledenog pokrova. Led u Sjevernoj Americi skupljao se u dva, a kasnije i tri središta. Grenland je bio prekriven, dok je Island bio potpuno zatrpan ledenim tokom. U Europi je led u različitim razdobljima prekrivao Britansko otočje osim same obale južne Engleske, a proširio se zapadnom Europom sve do Francuske.
61:5.4 (699.5)
The northern regions of this world have experienced six separate and distinct ice invasions, although there were scores of advances and recessions associated with the activity of each individual ice sheet. The ice in North America collected in two and, later, three centers. Greenland was covered, and Iceland was completely buried beneath the ice flow. In Europe the ice at various times covered the British Isles excepting the coast of southern England, and it overspread western Europe down to France.
Prije 2 milijuna godina prvi sjevernoamerički ledenjak započeo je napredovati prema jugu. Time je započelo ledeno doba, a tom je ledenjaku trebalo gotovo milijun godina da napreduje i potom se povuče natrag prema sjevernim središtima pritiska. Središnji ledeni pokrov protezao se prema jugu sve do Kansasa; istočna i zapadna ledena središta tada još nisu bila tako opsežna.
61:5.5 (699.6)
2,000,000 years ago the first North American glacier started its southern advance. The ice age was now in the making, and this glacier consumed nearly one million years in its advance from, and retreat back toward, the northern pressure centers. The central ice sheet extended south as far as Kansas; the eastern and western ice centers were not then so extensive.
61:5.6 (699.7)
1,500,000 years ago the first great glacier was retreating northward. In the meantime, enormous quantities of snow had been falling on Greenland and on the northeastern part of North America, and erelong this eastern ice mass began to flow southward. This was the second invasion of the ice.
Ove prve dvije ledene invazije nisu bile opsežne u Euroaziji. Tijekom tih ranih epoha ledenog doba Sjeverna Amerika bila je preplavljena mastodontima, vunastim mamutima, konjima, devama, jelenima, mošusnim volovima, bizonima, kopnenim ljenjivcima, divovskim dabrovima, sabljozubim tigrovima, ljenjivcima velikim poput slonova i mnogim skupinama iz mačje i pseće porodice. No od tog vremena njihov broj počeo se brzo smanjivati uslijed sve veće hladnoće ledenog doba. Pred kraj ledenog doba većina tih životinjskih vrsta izumrla je u Sjevernoj Americi.
61:5.7 (699.8)
These first two ice invasions were not extensive in Eurasia. During these early epochs of the ice age North America was overrun with mastodons, woolly mammoths, horses, camels, deer, musk oxen, bison, ground sloths, giant beavers, saber-toothed tigers, sloths as large as elephants, and many groups of the cat and dog families. But from this time forward they were rapidly reduced in numbers by the increasing cold of the glacial period. Toward the close of the ice age the majority of these animal species were extinct in North America.
Na područjima udaljenim od leda flora i fauna kopna i mora bile su malo izmijenjene. Između razdoblja glacijalnog širenja klima je bila blaga kao i danas, možda čak i nešto toplija. Ledenjaci su, naposljetku, bili lokalne pojave, iako su se širili i prekrivali golema područja. Obalna klima znatno je varirala između razdoblja glacijalnog mirovanja i vremena kada su ogromne sante leda klizile s obala Mainea u Atlantski ocean, prolazile kroz Puget Sound u Tihi ocean i obrušavale se niz norveške fjordove u Sjeverno more.
61:5.8 (700.1)
Away from the ice the land and water life of the world was little changed. Between the ice invasions the climate was about as mild as at present, perhaps a little warmer. The glaciers were, after all, local phenomena, though they spread out to cover enormous areas. The coastwise climate varied greatly between the times of glacial inaction and those times when enormous icebergs were sliding off the coast of Maine into the Atlantic, slipping out through Puget Sound into the Pacific, and thundering down Norwegian fiords into the North Sea.
Veliki događaj ovog ledenog doba bila je evolucija primitivnog čovjeka. Malo zapadnije od Indije, na kopnu koje je danas pod vodom i među potomcima azijskih migranata starijih sjevernoameričkih lemurskih vrsta, iznenada su se pojavili najraniji čovjekoliki sisavci. Te male životinje hodale su uglavnom na stražnjim nogama i posjedovale velike mozgove u odnosu na svoju veličinu i u usporedbi s mozgovima drugih životinja. U sedamdesetoj generaciji ovog reda života nova i viša skupina životinja iznenada se diferencirala. Ovi novi srednji sisavci — gotovo dvostruko veći i viši od svojih predaka i s razmjerno povećanim mozgom — tek su se bili dobro ustalili kad su se iznenada pojavili primati, treća vitalna mutacija. (U to isto vrijeme retrogradni razvoj unutar loze srednjih sisavaca doveo je do nastanka majmunskih predaka; a od tada pa sve do danas ljudska je grana napredovala progresivnom evolucijom, dok su plemena majmuna stagnirala ili zapravo nazadovala.)
61:6.1 (700.2)
The great event of this glacial period was the evolution of primitive man. Slightly to the west of India, on land now under water and among the offspring of Asiatic migrants of the older North American lemur types, the dawn mammals suddenly appeared. These small animals walked mostly on their hind legs, and they possessed large brains in proportion to their size and in comparison with the brains of other animals. In the seventieth generation of this order of life a new and higher group of animals suddenly differentiated. These new mid-mammals—almost twice the size and height of their ancestors and possessing proportionately increased brain power—had only well established themselves when the Primates, the third vital mutation, suddenly appeared. (At this same time, a retrograde development within the mid-mammal stock gave origin to the simian ancestry; and from that day to this the human branch has gone forward by progressive evolution, while the simian tribes have remained stationary or have actually retrogressed.)
Ovaj događaj zbio se otprilike u vrijeme početka trećeg glacijalnog napredovanja; tako se može vidjeti da su vaši rani preci rođeni i odrasli u poticajnom, okrepljujućem i zahtjevnom okruženju. A jedini preživjeli od tih urantijskih starosjedilaca, Eskimi, još i danas radije žive u ledenim sjevernim podnebljima.
61:6.3 (700.4)
This event occurred at about the time of the beginning of the third glacial advance; thus it may be seen that your early ancestors were born and bred in a stimulating, invigorating, and difficult environment. And the sole survivors of these Urantia aborigines, the Eskimos, even now prefer to dwell in frigid northern climes.
Ljudska bića nisu bila prisutna na zapadnoj hemisferi sve do pred kraj ledenog doba. No tijekom interglacijalnih razdoblja krenula su prema zapadu oko Sredozemlja i ubrzo preplavila europski kontinent. U spiljama zapadne Europe mogu se pronaći ljudske kosti pomiješane s ostacima tropskih i arktičkih životinja, što svjedoči da je čovjek živio na tim prostorima tijekom kasnijih epoha širenja i povlačenja ledenjaka.
61:6.4 (700.5)
Human beings were not present in the Western Hemisphere until near the close of the ice age. But during the interglacial epochs they passed westward around the Mediterranean and soon overran the continent of Europe. In the caves of western Europe may be found human bones mingled with the remains of both tropic and arctic animals, testifying that man lived in these regions throughout the later epochs of the advancing and retreating glaciers.
Tijekom ledenog doba i drugi procesi bili su u tijeku, ali djelovanje leda zasjenjuje sve ostale pojave u sjevernim predjelima. Nijedna druga kopnena aktivnost nije za sobom ostavila tako karakteristične topografske tragove. Karakteristične gromade i površinski rascjepi, kao što su ledenjačke rupe, jezera, pomaknuto kamenje i kameno brašno, ne mogu se povezati ni s jednom drugom pojavom u prirodi. Led je također odgovoran za ta blaga površinska valovita uzdignuća poznata kao drumlini. A kako su se ledenjaci širili, tako su pomicali rijeke i mijenjali lice čitave zemlje. Samo ledenjaci ostavljaju iza sebe te prepoznatljive nanose — temeljne, bočne i završne morene. Ovi nanosi, a osobito temeljne morene, protežu se od istočne morske obale prema sjeveru i zapadu u Sjevernoj Americi, a nalaze se i u Europi i Sibiru.
61:7.1 (700.6)
Throughout the glacial period other activities were in progress, but the action of the ice overshadows all other phenomena in the northern latitudes. No other terrestrial activity leaves such characteristic evidence on the topography. The distinctive boulders and surface cleavages, such as potholes, lakes, displaced stone, and rock flour, are to be found in connection with no other phenomenon in nature. The ice is also responsible for those gentle swells, or surface undulations, known as drumlins. And a glacier, as it advances, displaces rivers and changes the whole face of the earth. Glaciers alone leave behind them those telltale drifts—the ground, lateral, and terminal moraines. These drifts, particularly the ground moraines, extend from the eastern seaboard north and westward in North America and are found in Europe and Siberia.
Prije 750.000 godina četvrti ledeni pokrov, spoj središnjeg i istočnog sjevernoameričkog ledenog polja, snažno je napredovao prema jugu; na vrhuncu svog širenja dosegao je južni Illinois, pomaknuvši rijeku Mississippi osamdeset kilometara prema zapadu, dok se na istoku protezao sve do rijeke Ohio i središnje Pennsylvanije.
61:7.2 (701.1)
750,000 years ago the fourth ice sheet, a union of the North American central and eastern ice fields, was well on its way south; at its height it reached to southern Illinois, displacing the Mississippi River fifty miles to the west, and in the east it extended as far south as the Ohio River and central Pennsylvania.
61:7.4 (701.3)
500,000 years ago, during the fifth advance of the ice, a new development accelerated the course of human evolution. Suddenly and in one generation the six colored races mutated from the aboriginal human stock. This is a doubly important date since it also marks the arrival of the Planetary Prince.
U Sjevernoj Americi napredovao je peti ledenjak koji se sastojao od kombinacije sva tri glacijalna središta. Istočni režanj, međutim, proširio se samo na kratku udaljenost ispod doline Svetog Lovre, a zapadni ledeni pokrov pomaknuo se tek malo južnije. No središnji režanj dosegao je jug i prekrio veći dio države Iowa. U Europi ovo napredovanje leda nije bilo toliko opsežno kao prethodno.
61:7.5 (701.4)
In North America the advancing fifth glacier consisted of a combined invasion by all three ice centers. The eastern lobe, however, extended only a short distance below the St. Lawrence valley, and the western ice sheet made little southern advance. But the central lobe reached south to cover most of the state of Iowa. In Europe this invasion of the ice was not so extensive as the preceding one.
Tijekom ove invazije tri velika ledena pokrova spojila su se u jednu golemu ledenu masu, a sva zapadna gorja sudjelovala su u toj glacijalnoj aktivnosti. Ovo je bila najveća od svih ledenih invazija u Sjevernoj Americi; led se pomaknuo više od dvije tisuće četiristo kilometara južno od svojih središta pritiska, a Sjeverna Amerika doživjela je svoje najniže temperature.
61:7.7 (701.6)
In this invasion the three great ice sheets coalesced into one vast ice mass, and all of the western mountains participated in this glacial activity. This was the largest of all ice invasions in North America; the ice moved south over fifteen hundred miles from its pressure centers, and North America experienced its lowest temperatures.
61:7.9 (701.8)
150,000 years ago the sixth and last glacier reached its farthest points of southern extension, the western ice sheet crossing just over the Canadian border; the central coming down into Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois; the eastern sheet advancing south and covering the greater portion of Pennsylvania and Ohio.
To je glečer čiji su mnogi kraci ili ledeni režnjevi isklesali udubljenja današnjih velikih i malih jezera. Tijekom njegova povlačenja nastao je sjevernoamerički sustav Velikih jezera. Geolozi Urantije vrlo su precizno rekonstruirali kronologiju različitih faza ovog razvoja i ispravno zaključili da su se te vodene mase u različitim razdobljima praznile najprije u dolinu Mississippija, zatim prema istoku u dolinu Hudsona, a na kraju sjevernim putem u rijeku Svetog Lovre. Prošlo je trideset i sedam tisuća godina otkako se povezani sustav Velikih jezera počeo prazniti današnjim tokom Niagare.
61:7.10 (701.9)
This is the glacier that sent forth the many tongues, or ice lobes, which carved out the present-day lakes, great and small. During its retreat the North American system of Great Lakes was produced. And Urantian geologists have very accurately deduced the various stages of this development and have correctly surmised that these bodies of water did, at different times, empty first into the Mississippi valley, then eastward into the Hudson valley, and finally by a northern route into the St. Lawrence. It is thirty-seven thousand years since the connected Great Lakes system began to empty out over the present Niagara route.
Prije 100.000 godina, tijekom povlačenja posljednjeg ledenjaka, počeli su se formirati golemi polarni ledeni pokrovi, dok se središte nakupljanja leda pomaknulo znatno prema sjeveru. I dok su polarna područja ostala prekrivena ledom, teško je moguće da dođe do novog ledenog doba, bez obzira na buduća uzdizanja kopna ili promjene morskih struja.
61:7.11 (702.1)
100,000 years ago, during the retreat of the last glacier, the vast polar ice sheets began to form, and the center of ice accumulation moved considerably northward. And as long as the polar regions continue to be covered with ice, it is hardly possible for another glacial age to occur, regardless of future land elevations or modification of ocean currents.
Strogo ledeno doba uništilo je mnoge vrste i radikalno promijenilo brojne druge. Mnoge su bile prorijeđene do krajnosti migracijama amo-tamo koje su bile uzrokovane napredovanjem i povlačenjem leda. Životinje koje su pratile ledenjake naprijed-natrag preko kopna bili su medvjed, bizon, sob, mošusno govedo, mamut i mastodont.
61:7.13 (702.1)
The rigorous glacial period destroyed many species and radically changed numerous others. Many were sorely sifted by the to-and-fro migration which was made necessary by the advancing and retreating ice. Those animals which followed the glaciers back and forth over the land were the bear, bison, reindeer, musk ox, mammoth, and mastodon.
Mamut je tražio otvorene prerije, dok je mastodont više volio zaštićene rubove šumskih područja. Mamut je sve do kasnijeg razdoblja živio na području od Meksika do Kanade; sibirska vrsta postala je prekrivena vunom. Mastodont je opstao u Sjevernoj Americi dok ga crveni čovjek nije istrijebio na isti način na koji je bijeli čovjek kasnije istrijebio bizone.
61:7.14 (702.1)
The mammoth sought the open prairies, but the mastodon preferred the sheltered fringes of the forest regions. The mammoth, until a late date, ranged from Mexico to Canada; the Siberian variety became wool covered. The mastodon persisted in North America until exterminated by the red man much as the white man later killed off the bison.
Prisilna migracija flore i faune pred širenjem leda dovela je do izvanrednog miješanja biljaka i životinja, a uslijed povlačenja posljednje glacijalne invazije mnoge arktičke vrste biljaka i životinja ostale su zarobljene visoko u određenim planinskim gorjima kamo su pobjegle kako bi izbjegle uništenje od ledenjaka. I tako se danas te dislocirane biljke i životinje mogu pronaći visoko u Alpama Europe pa čak i na Apalačkom gorju Sjeverne Amerike.
61:7.16 (702.1)
The enforced migration of life before the advancing ice led to an extraordinary commingling of plants and of animals, and with the retreat of the final ice invasion, many arctic species of both plants and animals were left stranded high upon certain mountain peaks, whither they had journeyed to escape destruction by the glacier. And so, today, these dislocated plants and animals may be found high up on the Alps of Europe and even on the Appalachian Mountains of North America.
61:7.18 (702.1)
35,000 years ago marks the termination of the great ice age excepting in the polar regions of the planet. This date is also significant in that it approximates the arrival of a Material Son and Daughter and the beginning of the Adamic dispensation, roughly corresponding to the beginning of the Holocene or postglacial period.