San Bernardino County Museum Senior Curator Kathleen Springer will give a presentation, “Geologic Time, How We Tell It,” at the museum in Redlands on Sunday, February 24 at 2:00 p.m. She will ask the audience to think of rocks as time machines as she describes how geologists read the rocks to tell their story by using basic principles that have been in place for hundreds of years. This presentation is included with museum general admission.

In no other science does time play as significant a role as in geology, but how do we measure time? She will relate how early geologic observations were the underpinning of the development of the geologic time scale, and how the “Principles of Geology” were developed and used to interpret the fossil record for its time significance, making the evolutionary events in that record the basis for dividing time into discrete units. She will also reveal how, with the advent of modern radiometric dating, we can now assign actual dates to events in the geologic past.

“These ideas are fundamental in the development of the museum’s Hall of Geological Wonders,” said Springer. I will also discuss how the curators have created the largest geologic time scale ever to be installed in a museum – “The Time Tube” – as an exhibit showpiece to discuss this big concept in geosciences.”

The San Bernardino County Museum is at the California Street exit from Interstate 10 in Redlands. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9 am to 5pm. General admission is $8 (adult), $6 (military or senior), $5 (student), and $4 (child aged 5 to 12). Children under five and Museum Association members are admitted free. Parking is free. For more information, visit http://www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/museum/. The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities. If assistive listening devices or other auxiliary aids are needed in order to participate in museum exhibits or programs, requests should be made through Museum Visitor Services at least three business days prior to your visit. Visitor Services’ telephone number is 909-307-2669 ext. 229 or (TDD) 909-792-1462.