Kapitel 59 | Paper 59 | |
Marine Livets Æra På Urantia | The Marine-Life Era on Urantia | |
59:0.1 (672.1) VI ERKENDER, at Urantias historie begyndte for omkring en milliard år siden og strakte sig gennem fem store æraer: | 59:0.1 (672.1) WE RECKON the history of Urantia as beginning about one billion years ago and extending through five major eras: | |
59:0.2 (672.2) 1. Før livets æra strækker sig over de første fire hundrede og halvtreds millioner år, fra omtrent da planeten nåede sin nuværende størrelse, og frem til den tid da livet blev etableret. Jeres forskere har givet denne periode betegnelsen den arkeozoiske. | 59:0.2 (672.2) 1. The prelife era extends over the initial four hundred and fifty million years, from about the time the planet attained its present size to the time of life establishment. Your students have designated this period as the Archeozoic. | |
59:0.3 (672.3) 2. Livets begyndende æra strækker sig over de næste hundrede og halvtreds millioner år. Denne epoke ligger mellem den forudgående førlivstid eller naturkatastrofernes tidsalder og den efterfølgende periode med mere højtudviklet marint liv. Denne æra er kendt af jeres forskere som den proterozoiske. | 59:0.3 (672.3) 2. The life-dawn era extends over the next one hundred and fifty million years. This epoch intervenes between the preceding prelife or cataclysmic age and the following period of more highly developed marine life. This era is known to your researchers as the Proterozoic. | |
59:0.4 (672.4) 3. Havlivets æra dækker de næste to hundrede og halvtreds millioner år og er mest kendt hos jer som den paleozoiske. | 59:0.4 (672.4) 3. The marine-life era covers the next two hundred and fifty million years and is best known to you as the Paleozoic. | |
59:0.5 (672.5) 4. Det tidlige landbaserede livets æra strækker sig over de næste hundrede millioner år og er kendt som den mesozoiske. | 59:0.5 (672.5) 4. The early land-life era extends over the next one hundred million years and is known as the Mesozoic. | |
59:0.6 (672.6) 5. Pattedyrenes æra fylder de sidste halvtreds millioner år. Denne nyere tids æra er kendt som den kenozoiske. | 59:0.6 (672.6) 5. The mammalian era occupies the last fifty million years. This recent-times era is known as the Cenozoic. | |
59:0.7 (672.7) Marine livs æra dækker således omkring en fjerdedel af jeres planetariske historie. Den kan inddeles i seks lange perioder, som hver især er kendetegnet ved visse veldefinerede udviklinger i både de geologiske og de biologiske domæner. | 59:0.7 (672.7) The marine-life era thus covers about one quarter of your planetary history. It may be subdivided into six long periods, each characterized by certain well-defined developments in both the geologic realms and the biologic domains. | |
59:0.8 (672.8) Da denne æra begynder, er havbunden, de udstrakte kontinentalsokler og de mange lavvandede kystnære bassiner dækket af en frodig vegetation. De mere simple og primitive former for dyreliv har allerede udviklet sig fra tidligere vegetabilske organismer, og de tidlige dyreorganismer har gradvist banet sig vej langs de forskellige landmassers vidtstrakte kystlinjer, indtil de mange indlandshave vrimler med primitivt havliv. Da så få af disse tidlige organismer havde skaller, er der ikke mange, der er blevet bevaret som fossiler. Ikke desto mindre er scenen sat for de første kapitler i den store “stenbog” over livets bevarelse, som så metodisk blev nedfældet i løbet af de efterfølgende tidsaldre. | 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) Det nordamerikanske kontinent er vidunderligt rigt på fossilholdige aflejringer fra hele det marine livs æra. De allerførste og ældste lag er adskilt fra de senere lag fra den foregående periode af omfattende erosionsaflejringer, som tydeligt adskiller disse to stadier i planetens udvikling. | 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. | |
1. Det første marine liv på lavt vand trilobitternes tidsalder ^top |
1. Early Marine Life in the Shallow Seas The Trilobite Age ^top |
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59:1.1 (673.1) Ved begyndelsen af denne periode med relativ ro på jordens overflade er livet begrænset til de forskellige indlandshave og havets kystlinje; endnu har ingen form for landorganisme udviklet sig. Primitive havdyr er veletablerede og er forberedt på den næste evolutionære udvikling. Amøber er typiske overlevende fra dette første stadie af dyrelivet, og de dukkede op mod slutningen af den foregående overgangsperiode. | 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. | |
59:1.2 (673.2) For 400.000.000 år siden var marine liv, både floraen og faunaen, nogenlunde vel udbredt over hele verden. Klimaet på jorden var lidt varmere og mere ensartet. Der er en generelt udbredt oversvømmelse af de forskellige kontinenters kystlinjer, især i Nord- og Sydamerika. Nye oceaner opstår, og de ældre vandområder er stærkt udvidet. | 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. | |
59:1.3 (673.3) Vegetationen kravler nu for første gang ud på landjorden og gør snart store fremskridt i tilpasningen til et ikke-marint levested. | 59:1.3 (673.3) Vegetation now for the first time crawls out upon the land and soon makes considerable progress in adaptation to a nonmarine habitat. | |
59:1.4 (673.4) Pludselig og uden gradvise forstadier fremtræder de første flercellede dyr. Trilobitterne har udviklet sig, og i lang tid dominerer de havene. Set fra det marine livs synspunkt er dette trilobitternes tidsalder. | 59:1.4 (673.4) Suddenly and without gradation ancestry the first multicellular animals make their appearance. The trilobites have evolved, and for ages they dominate the seas. From the standpoint of marine life this is the trilobite age. | |
59:1.5 (673.5) I den senere del af dette tidssegment dukkede store dele af Nordamerika og Europa op af havet. Jordskorpen blev midlertidigt stabiliseret; bjerge, eller rettere høje landområder, rejste sig langs Atlanterhavs- og Stillehavskysten, over Vestindien og i Sydeuropa. Hele den caribiske region var meget højtliggende. | 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. | |
59:1.6 (673.6) For 390.000.000 år siden var landet stadig hævet. Over dele af det østlige og vestlige Amerika og Vesteuropa kan man finde de stenlag, der blev aflejret på denne tid, og det er de ældste klipper, der indeholder trilobitfossiler. Der var mange lange, fingerlignende kløfter, som stak ind i landmasserne, hvor de fossilholdige bjergarter blev aflejret. | 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. | |
59:1.7 (673.7) I løbet af nogle få millioner år begyndte Stillehavet at invadere de amerikanske kontinenter. Landets nedsynkning skyldtes hovedsageligt jordskorpejustering, selvom den laterale landspredning, eller kontinentale krybning, også var en faktor. | 59:1.7 (673.7) Within a few million years the Pacific Ocean began to invade the American continents. The sinking of the land was principally due to crustal adjustment, although the lateral land spread, or continental creep, was also a factor. | |
59:1.8 (673.8) For 380.000.000 år siden var Asien ved at synke sammen, og alle andre kontinenter oplevede en kortvarig fremkomst. Men som denne epoke skred frem, gjorde det nyopståede Atlanterhav omfattende indhug i alle tilstødende kystlinjer. Det nordlige Atlanterhav eller arktiske hav blev derefter forbundet med det sydlige Golfvand. Da dette sydlige hav trængte ind i Appalachernes dal, brød dets bølger mod øst mod bjerge så høje som Alperne, men generelt var kontinenterne uinteressante lavlandsområder, fuldstændig blottet for naturskønhed. | 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. | |
59:1.9 (673.9) De sedimentære aflejringer fra disse tidsaldre er af fire slags: | 59:1.9 (673.9) The sedimentary deposits of these ages are of four sorts: | |
59:1.10 (673.10) 1. Konglomerater—“materiale aflejret nær kystlinjen. | 59:1.10 (673.10) 1. Conglomerates—matter deposited near the shore lines. | |
59:1.11 (673.11) 2. Sandstens—aflejringer dannet på lavt vand, men hvor bølgerne var tilstrækkelige til at forhindre mudder i at sætte sig fast. | 59:1.11 (673.11) 2. Sandstones—deposits made in shallow water but where the waves were sufficient to prevent mud settling. | |
59:1.12 (673.12) 3. Lerskifer—aflejringer nedfældet på dybere og roligere vand. | 59:1.12 (673.12) 3. Shales—deposits made in the deeper and more quiet water. | |
59:1.13 (673.13) 4. Kalksten—deriblandt aflejringer af trilobitskaller på dybt vand. | 59:1.13 (673.13) 4. Limestone—including the deposits of trilobite shells in deep water. | |
59:1.14 (673.14) Trilobitfossilerne fra denne tid viser visse grundlæggende ensartetheder kombineret med visse velmarkerede variationer. De tidlige dyr, der udviklede sig fra de tre oprindelige livsimplantationer, var karakteristiske; dem, der dukkede op på den vestlige halvkugle, var lidt forskellige fra dem i den eurasiske gruppe og fra den australasiske eller australsk-antarktiske type. | 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. | |
59:1.15 (674.1) For 370.000.000 år siden skete den store og næsten totale nedsænkning af Nord- og Sydamerika, efterfulgt af nedsænkningen af Afrika og Australien. Kun visse dele af Nordamerika forblev over disse lavvandede kambriske have. Fem millioner år senere trak havene sig tilbage foran det stigende land. Og alle disse fænomener med land, der synker og land, der hæver sig, var udramatiske og fandt sted langsomt over millioner af år. | 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. | |
59:1.16 (674.2) De trilobit fossilbærende lag fra denne æra dukker op her og der på alle kontinenter undtagen i det centrale Asien. I mange regioner er disse klipper vandrette, men i bjergene er de skråtstillede og forvrængede på grund af tryk og foldning. Og et sådant tryk har mange steder ændret disse aflejringers oprindelige karakter. Sandsten er blevet til kvarts, lerskifer er blevet til stenskifer, mens kalksten er blevet omdannet til marmor. | 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. | |
59:1.17 (674.3) For 360.000.000 år siden hævede landet sig stadig. Nord- og Sydamerika var godt oppe. Vesteuropa og De Britiske Øer var på vej op, bortset fra dele af Wales, som var dybt nedsænket. Der var ingen store iskapper i disse tidsaldre. De formodede istidsaflejringer, der optræder i forbindelse med disse lag i Europa, Afrika, Kina og Australien, skyldes isolerede bjerggletsjere eller forskydning af istidsrester af senere oprindelse. Verdens klima var oceanisk, ikke kontinentalt. De sydlige have var varmere dengang end nu, og de strakte sig nordpå over Nordamerika op til polarområderne. Golfstrømmen løb over den centrale del af Nordamerika og blev afbøjet mod øst for at bade og varme Grønlands kyster, hvilket gjorde det nu isklædte kontinent til et sandt tropisk paradis. | 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. | |
59:1.18 (674.4) Marine livet var ganske ensartet verden over og bestod af alger, encellede organismer, simple svampe, trilobitter og andre krebsdyr—rejer, krabber og hummere. Tre tusinde forskellige slags armfødder dukkede op mod slutningen af denne periode, hvoraf kun to hundrede har overlevet. Disse dyr repræsenterer en variation af det tidlige liv, som er kommet ned til nutiden praktisk talt uændret. | 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. | |
59:1.19 (674.5) Men trilobitterne var de dominerende levende væsener. De var kønnede dyr og fandtes i mange former; da de var dårlige svømmere, flød de trægt i vandet eller kravlede langs havbunden og krummede sig sammen i selvbeskyttelse, når de blev angrebet af deres senere fjender. De voksede i længde fra fem centimeter til tredive centimeter og udviklede sig til fire særskilte grupper: kødæderne; planteæderne; altæderne og “mudderæderne.” Den sidstnævnte gruppes evne til at leve på uorganisk føde—var de sidste flercellede dyr som kunne dette—forklarer hvorfor de kunne formere sig så kraftig og holde stand så længe. | 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. | |
59:1.20 (674.6) Dette er det biogeologiske billede af Urantia ud ved slutningen af den lange periode i verdenshistorien som strækker sig over halvtreds millioner år og som jeres geologer har givet betegnelsen den kambriske periode. | 59:1.20 (674.6) This was the biogeologic picture of Urantia at the end of that long period of the world’s history, embracing fifty million years, designated by your geologists as the Cambrian. | |
2. Det første kontinentale oversvømmelsesstadie de hvirvelløse dyrs tidsalder ^top |
2. The First Continental Flood Stage The Invertebrate-Animal Age ^top |
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59:2.1 (674.7) De periodiske fænomener med landhævning og landsænkning, som er karakteristiske for disse tider, var alle gradvise og uspektakulære og blev ledsaget af lidt eller ingen vulkansk aktivitet. I løbet af alle disse på hinanden følgende landhævninger og -sænkninger delte det asiatiske moderkontinent ikke fuldt ud de andre landområders historie. Det oplevede mange oversvømmelser og dykkede først i den ene retning og så i den anden, især i sin tidligere historie, men det fremviser ikke de ensartede klippeaflejringer, som man kan finde på de andre kontinenter. I nyere tid har Asien været den mest stabile af alle landmasser. | 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. | |
59:2.2 (675.1) For 350.000.000 år siden begyndte den store oversvømmelsesperiode på alle kontinenter undtagen det centrale Asien. Landmasserne blev gentagne gange dækket af vand; kun kysthøjlandet forblev over disse lavvandede, men udbredte vekslende indlandshave. Tre store oversvømmelser karakteriserede denne periode, men inden den sluttede, rejste kontinenterne sig igen, og den samlede landhævning var femten procent større end nu. Den caribiske region var stærkt forhøjet. Denne periode er ikke så godt markeret i Europa, fordi landfluktuationerne var mindre, mens den vulkanske aktivitet var mere vedholdende. | 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. | |
59:2.3 (675.2) For 340.000.000 år siden skete der endnu en omfattende landsænkning, undtagen i Asien og Australien. Vandet fra verdenshavene blev generelt blandet. Dette var en stor kalkstensalder, hvor meget af den kalksten, som blev dannet kom fra kalkudskillende alger. | 59:2.3 (675.2) 340,000,000 years ago there occurred another extensive land sinking except in Asia and Australia. The waters of the world’s oceans were generally commingled. This was a great limestone age, much of its stone being laid down by lime-secreting algae. | |
59:2.4 (675.3) Et par millioner år senere begyndte store dele af de amerikanske kontinenter og Europa at dukke op af vandet. På den vestlige halvkugle var der kun en arm af Stillehavet tilbage over Mexico og de nuværende Rocky Mountain-regioner, men mod slutningen af denne epoke begyndte Atlanterhavs- og Stillehavskysten igen at synke. | 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. | |
59:2.5 (675.4) For 330.000.000 år siden begyndte en periode med relativ ro over hele verden, hvor meget land igen var over vand. Den eneste undtagelse fra denne periode med ro på jorden var udbruddet af den store nordamerikanske vulkan i det østlige Kentucky, en af de største enkeltstående vulkanske aktiviteter, verden nogensinde har oplevet. Asken fra denne vulkan dækkede et område på et tusinde trehundrede kvadratkilometer i en dybde på mellem fem og tyve meter. | 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. | |
59:2.6 (675.5) For 320.000.000 år siden fandt den tredje store oversvømmelse i denne periode sted. Vandet fra denne oversvømmelse dækkede alt det land, der var blevet oversvømmet af den foregående syndflod, mens det strakte sig længere i mange retninger over hele Amerika og Europa. Det østlige Nordamerika og Vesteuropa lå mellem tre og fire et halv tusinde meter under vand. | 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. | |
59:2.7 (675.6) For 310.000.000 år siden var verdens landmasser igen godt oppe med undtagelse af de sydlige dele af Nordamerika. Mexico dukkede op og skabte dermed Golfhavet, som lige siden har bevaret sin identitet. | 59:2.7 (675.6) 310,000,000 years ago the land masses of the world were again well up excepting the southern parts of North America. Mexico emerged, thus creating the Gulf Sea, which has ever since maintained its identity. | |
59:2.8 (675.7) Livet i denne periode fortsætter med at udvikle sig. Verden er igen stille og relativt fredelig; klimaet er fortsat mildt og udjævnende; landplanterne vandrer længere og længere væk fra kysterne. Livsmønstrene er veludviklede, selvom der kun findes få plantefossiler fra denne tid. | 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. | |
59:2.9 (675.8) Dette var den store tidsalder for de enkelte dyreorganismers evolution, selvom mange af de grundlæggende forandringer, såsom overgangen fra plante til dyr, havde fundet sted tidligere. Den marine fauna udviklede sig til et punkt, hvor enhver form for liv under hvirveldyrsskalaen var repræsenteret i fossilerne i de klipper, der blev aflejret i denne tid. Men alle disse dyr var marine organismer. Der var endnu ingen landdyr, bortset fra nogle få typer orme, som gravede sig ned langs kysterne, og landplanterne havde endnu ikke bredt sig ud over kontinenterne; der var stadig for meget kuldioxid i luften til at tillade eksistensen af luftåndere. Alle dyr, bortset fra nogle af de mere primitive, er direkte eller indirekte afhængige af plantelivet for at kunne eksistere. | 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. | |
59:2.10 (676.1) Trilobitterne var stadig fremtrædende. Disse små dyr fandtes i titusindvis af mønstre og var forgængere for moderne krebsdyr. Nogle af trilobitterne havde fra femogtyve til fire tusinde små øjne; andre havde fejludviklede øjne. Da denne periode sluttede, delte trilobitterne herredømmet over havene med adskillige andre former for hvirvelløst liv. Men de uddøde fuldstændigt i begyndelsen af den næste periode. | 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. | |
59:2.11 (676.2) Kalkudskillende alger var vidt udbredte. Der fandtes tusindvis af arter af de tidlige forfædre til korallerne. Havorme var talrige, og der var mange forskellige gopler, som siden er uddøde. Koraller og de senere typer af svampe udviklede sig. Blæksprutter var veludviklede, og de har overlevet som de moderne perlemorssnegle og otte- og tiarmede blæksprutter og andre blækfisk. | 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. | |
59:2.12 (676.3) Der var mange forskellige slags skaldyr, men deres skaller var ikke så nødvendige til forsvarsformål som i senere tidsaldre. Sneglene var til stede i urhavene, og til dem hørte de enkeltskallede borende snegle, strandsneglene og andre sneglearter. De toskallede snegle har levet temmelig uforandret videre op gennem de mellemliggende millionvis af år og omfatter muslinger, snegle, østers og kammuslinger. De ventilformede organismer udviklede sig også, og disse armfødder levede i urhavene omtrent på samme måde som de gør i dag; de havde endda hængslede, hakkede og andre former for beskyttende arrangementer af deres ventiler. | 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. | |
59:2.13 (676.4) Sådan slutter den evolutionære historie om den anden store periode med marint liv, som jeres geologer kender som den Ordoviciske periode. | 59:2.13 (676.4) So ends the evolutionary story of the second great period of marine life, which is known to your geologists as the Ordovician. | |
3. Den anden store oversvømmelsesstadie koralperioden—brachipodernes tidsalder ^top |
3. The Second Great Flood Stage The Coral Period—The Brachiopod Age ^top |
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59:3.1 (676.5) For 300.000.000 år siden begyndte endnu en stor periode med nedsænkning af land. De gamle siluriske haves indtrængen mod syd og nord gjorde klar til at opsluge det meste af Europa og Nordamerika. Landet var ikke hævet langt over havet, så der skete ikke megen aflejring omkring kystlinjerne. Havet vrimlede med liv af kalkskaller, og når disse skaller faldt ned på havbunden, blev der gradvist opbygget meget tykke lag af kalksten. Dette er den første udbredte kalkstensaflejring, og den dækker praktisk talt hele Europa og Nordamerika, men dukker kun op på jordoverfladen nogle få steder. Tykkelsen af dette ældgamle klippelag er i gennemsnit omkring trehundrede meter, men mange af disse aflejringer er siden blevet stærkt deformeret af vipning, omvæltninger og forkastninger, og mange er blevet ændret til kvarts, skifer og marmor. | 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. | |
59:3.2 (676.6) Hverken vulkanske bjergarter eller lava findes i denne periodens stenlag undtagen det som kommer fra de store vulkaner i Sydeuropa og det østlige Maine eller fra lavastrømmene i Quebec. Vulkanaktiviteten var i væsentlig grad overstået. Dette var højden af den store vandaflejring; der var kun lidt eller ingen bjergdannelse. | 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. | |
59:3.3 (676.7) For 290.000.000 år siden havde havet stort set trukket sig tilbage fra kontinenterne, og bunden af de omkringliggende oceaner var ved at synke. Landmasserne ændrede sig kun lidt, indtil de igen blev oversvømmet. De tidlige bjergbevægelser på alle kontinenterne var begyndt, og de største af disse jordskorpeomvæltninger var Himalaya i Asien og de store kaledoniske bjerge, der strækker sig fra Irland gennem Skotland og videre til Svalbard. | 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. | |
59:3.4 (677.1) Det er i aflejringerne fra denne alder, at man finder meget gas, olie, zink og bly, idet gassen og olien stammer fra de enorme samlinger af vegetabilsk og animalsk materiale, der blev ført ned på tidspunktet for den tidligere landoversvømmelse, mens mineralaflejringerne repræsenterer sedimentationen af stillestående vandmasser. Mange af klippesaltaflejringerne hører til denne periode. | 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. | |
59:3.5 (677.2) Trilobitterne faldt hurtigt i antal, og de større bløddyr, blæksprutterne, indtog scenen. Disse dyr blev op til fem meter lange og en fod i diameter og blev havets herrer. Denne dyreart dukkede pludselig op og overtog dominansen af livet i havet. | 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. | |
59:3.6 (677.3) Den store vulkanske aktivitet i denne tidsalder var i den europæiske sektor. Ikke i millioner og atter millioner af år havde der været så voldsomme og omfattende vulkanudbrud, som nu fandt sted omkring Middelhavet og især i nærheden af De Britiske Øer. Denne lavastrøm over De Britiske Øer viser sig i dag som skiftende lag af lava og sten, der er cirka 8000 meter tykke. Disse klipper blev aflejret af de tilbagevendende lavastrømme, som bredte sig ud over en lavvandet havbund og derved spredte klippeaflejringerne, og alt dette blev efterfølgende hævet højt over havet. Voldsomme jordskælv fandt sted i Nordeuropa, især i Skotland. | 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. | |
59:3.7 (677.4) Det oceaniske klima forblev mildt og ensartet, og de varme have badede kysterne i polarområderne. Man kan finde fossiler af brachiopoder og andre havdyr i disse aflejringer helt op til Nordpolen. Snegle, armfødder, svampe og revdannende koraller blev ved med at vokse. | 59:3.7 (677.4) The oceanic climate remained mild and uniform, and the warm seas bathed the shores of the polar lands. Brachiopod and other marine-life fossils may be found in these deposits right up to the North Pole. Gastropods, brachiopods, sponges, and reef-making corals continued to increase. | |
59:3.8 (677.5) Ved afslutningen af denne epoke kommer den anden fremrykning af de siluriske have med endnu en sammenblanding af vandet i de sydlige og nordlige oceaner. Blæksprutterne dominerer livet i havet, mens tilknyttede livsformer gradvist udvikler og differentierer sig. | 59:3.8 (677.5) The close of this epoch witnesses the second advance of the Silurian seas with another commingling of the waters of the southern and northern oceans. The cephalopods dominate marine life, while associated forms of life progressively develop and differentiate. | |
59:3.9 (677.6) For 280.000.000 år siden var kontinenterne stort set kommet ud af den anden siluriske oversvømmelse. Stenaflejringerne fra denne oversvømmelse er i Nordamerika kendt som Niagara-kalksten, fordi det er det stenlag, som Niagara Falls nu flyder over. Dette klippelag strækker sig fra de østlige bjerge til Mississippi-dalen, men ikke længere mod vest, undtagen mod syd. Flere lag strækker sig over Canada, dele af Sydamerika, Australien og det meste af Europa, og den gennemsnitlige tykkelse af denne Niagara-serie er omkring to hundrede meter. Umiddelbart over Niagara-aflejringen kan man i mange regioner finde en samling af konglomerat, skifer og stensalt. Dette er ophobningen af sekundære nedsænkninger. Saltet blev aflejret i store laguner, som skiftevis blev åbnet op til havet og derefter lukket af, så der skete en fordampning med aflejring af salt sammen med andre stoffer, der blev holdt i opløsning. I nogle områder er disse klippesaltlag tyve meter tykke. | 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. | |
59:3.10 (677.7) Klimaet er jævnt og mildt, og der aflejres marine fossiler i de arktiske områder. Men i slutningen af denne epoke er havene så overordentligt salte, at kun lidt liv overlever. | 59:3.10 (677.7) The climate is even and mild, and marine fossils are laid down in the arctic regions. But by the end of this epoch the seas are so excessively salty that little life survives. | |
59:3.11 (677.8) Mod slutningen af den sidste siluriske nedsænkning er der en stor stigning i pighuderne—stenliljerne—som det fremgår af kalkstensaflejringerne med pighuder. Trilobitterne er næsten forsvundet, og bløddyrene fortsætter med at være havets monarker; dannelsen af koralrev øges kraftigt. I løbet af denne tidsalder udvikler de primitive vandskorpioner sig først på de mere gunstige steder. Kort tid efter, og pludselig dukker ægte skorpioner op—de, der faktisk ånder—i luften. | 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. | |
59:3.12 (678.1) Disse udviklingsforløb afslutter den tredje marine livsperiode, som varer femogtyve millioner år og er kendt af jeres forskere som silurperioden. | 59:3.12 (678.1) These developments terminate the third marine-life period, covering twenty-five million years and known to your researchers as the Silurian. | |
4. Det store landhævningsstadie perioden for planteliv på land fiskenes tidsalder ^top |
4. The Great Land-Emergence Stage The Vegetative Land-Life Period The Age of Fishes ^top |
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59:4.1 (678.2) I den evige kamp mellem land og vand har havet i lange perioder været forholdsvis sejrherre, men nu er der tider, hvor landet vinder. Og kontinentalforskydningerne er ikke kommet længere, end at praktisk talt alt land i verden til tider er forbundet af smalle landtanger og smalle landbroer. | 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. | |
59:4.2 (678.3) Da landet kommer ud af den sidste siluriske oversvømmelse, slutter en vigtig periode i verdens udvikling og livets evolution. Det er begyndelsen på en ny tidsalder på jorden. Tidligere tiders nøgne og utiltalende landskab er ved at blive beklædt med frodigt grønt, og de første storslåede skove vil snart dukke op. | 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. | |
59:4.3 (678.4) Det marine liv i denne tidsalder var meget forskelligartet på grund af den tidlige adskillelse af arter, men senere var der fri blanding og forening af alle disse forskellige typer. Armfødderne nåede tidligt deres klimaks og blev efterfulgt af leddyrene, og rankefødderne dukkede op for første gang. Men den største begivenhed af alle var den pludselige fremkomst af fiskefamilien. Dette blev fiskenes tidsalder, den periode i verdenshistorien, der er karakteriseret ved hvirveldyrene. | 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. | |
59:4.4 (678.5) For 270.000.000 år siden var alle kontinenter over vand. I millioner og atter millioner af år havde der ikke været så meget land over vand på én gang; det var en af de største landskabsepoker i hele verdenshistorien. | 59:4.4 (678.5) 270,000,000 years ago the continents were all above water. In millions upon millions of years not so much land had been above water at one time; it was one of the greatest land-emergence epochs in all world history. | |
59:4.5 (678.6) Fem millioner år senere var landområderne i Nord- og Sydamerika, Europa, Afrika, det nordlige Asien og Australien blevet kortvarigt oversvømmet; og Nordamerika var på et eller andet tidspunkt næsten helt oversvømmet, noget som førte til dannelse af kalkstenslag i en tykkelse på mellem et hundrede og halvtreds og femten hundrede meter. Disse forskellige devonske have strakte sig først i én retning og derefter i en anden, så det enorme arktiske nordamerikanske indlandshav fandt et udløb til Stillehavet gennem det nordlige Californien. | 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. | |
59:4.6 (678.7) For 260.000.000 år siden, mod slutningen af denne landsænkningsperiode, var Nordamerika delvis dækket af hav som var forbundet med Stillehavet, Atlanten og havene i Arktis og Golfen samtidig. Aflejringerne fra disse senstadier af første Devoniske oversvømmelser har en gennemsnitstykkelse på rundt regnet trehundrede meter. Koralrevene som denne tid bærer præg af, antyder at indhavene var lavvandede og havde klart vand. Sådanne koralaflejringer ligger synlige oppe i dalen langs Ohio Floden ved Louisville i Kentucky, og er omtrent tredive meter tykke, og indeholder mere end tohundrede forskellige varianter. Disse koralformationer strækker sig gennem Canada og Nordeuropa til de arktiske områder. | 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. | |
59:4.7 (678.8) Efter disse neddykninger blev mange af kystlinjerne hævet betydeligt, så de tidligere aflejringer blev dækket af mudder eller skifer. Der er også et rødt sandstenslag, som karakteriserer en af de devonske aflejringer, og dette røde lag strækker sig over en stor del af jordens overflade og findes i Nord- og Sydamerika, Europa, Rusland, Kina, Afrika og Australien. Sådanne røde aflejringer tyder på tørre eller halvtørre forhold, men klimaet i denne epoke var stadig mildt og jævnt. | 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. | |
59:4.8 (679.1) Gennem hele denne periode holdt landet sydøst for Cincinnati øen et godt stykke over vand. Men vældige meget af Vesteuropa stod under vand, deriblandt de Britiske øer. I Wales, Tyskland og andre steder i Europa er Devoniske bjerge omkring seks kilometer tykke. | 59:4.8 (679.1) Throughout all of this period the land southeast of the Cincinnati Island remained well above water. But very much of western Europe, including the British Isles, was submerged. In Wales, Germany, and other places in Europe the Devonian rocks are 20,000 feet thick. | |
59:4.9 (679.2) For 250.000.000 år siden opstod fiskefamilien, hvirveldyrene, et af de vigtigste skridt i hele den førmenneskelige evolution. | 59:4.9 (679.2) 250,000,000 years ago witnessed the appearance of the fish family, the vertebrates, one of the most important steps in all prehuman evolution. | |
59:4.10 (679.3) Leddyrene, eller krebsdyrene, var forfædre til de første hvirveldyr. Forløberne for fiskefamilien var to modificerede leddyrsforfædre; den ene havde en lang krop, der forbandt hoved og hale, mens den anden var en ryg- og kæbeløs forfisk. Men disse foreløbige typer blev hurtigt ødelagt, da fiskene, de første hvirveldyr i dyreverdenen,pludselig dukkede op nordfra. | 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. | |
59:4.11 (679.4) Mange af de største ægte fisk hører til denne tidsalder, og nogle af de tandbærende arter er femogtyve til tredive meter lange; nutidens hajer er de overlevende af disse gamle fisk. Lunge- og panserfiskene nåede deres evolutionære højdepunkt, og inden denne epoke var slut, havde fiskene tilpasset sig både fersk- og saltvand. | 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. | |
59:4.12 (679.5) Man kan finde veritable knoglebanker med fisketænder og skeletter i de aflejringer, der blev dannet mod slutningen af denne periode, og der findes rige fossilbanker langs Californiens kyst, da mange beskyttede bugter i Stillehavet strakte sig ind i landet i denne region. | 59:4.12 (679.5) Veritable bone beds of fish teeth and skeletons may be found in the deposits laid down toward the close of this period, and rich fossil beds are situated along the coast of California since many sheltered bays of the Pacific Ocean extended into the land of that region. | |
59:4.13 (679.6) Jorden blev hurtigt overrendt af nye former for landvegetation. Hidtil havde der kun vokset få planter på land, bortset fra i vandkanten. Nu, og pludselig, dukkede den frodige bregnefamilie op og spredte sig hurtigt over det hurtigt stigende land i alle dele af verden. Snart udviklede der sig træsorter, fra tres centimeter tykke til tolv meter høje; senere udviklede de også blade, men disse første varianter havde kun rudimentært løv. Der var mange mindre planter, men deres fossiler er ikke fundet, da de som regel blev ødelagt af de endnu tidligere bakterier. | 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. | |
59:4.14 (679.7) Efterhånden som landet hævede sig, blev Nordamerika forbundet med Europa via landbroer, der strakte sig til Grønland. Og i dag gemmer Grønland resterne af disse tidlige landplanter under sin kappe af is. | 59:4.14 (679.7) As the land rose, North America became connected with Europe by land bridges extending to Greenland. And today Greenland holds the remains of these early land plants beneath its mantle of ice. | |
59:4.15 (679.8) For 240.000.000 år siden begyndte landet over dele af både Europa og Nord- og Sydamerika at synke. Denne nedsynkning markerede fremkomsten af den sidste og mindst omfattende af de devonske oversvømmelser. De arktiske have bevægede sig igen sydpå over store dele af Nordamerika, Atlanterhavet oversvømmede en stor del af Europa og det vestlige Asien, mens det sydlige Stillehav dækkede det meste af Indien. Denne oversvømmelse var langsom til at opstå og lige så langsom til at trække sig tilbage. Catskill-bjergene langs den vestlige bred af Hudson-floden er et af de største geologiske monumenter fra denne epoke, som findes på Nordamerikas overflade. | 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. | |
59:4.16 (679.9) For 230.000.000 år siden fortsatte havet sin tilbagetrækning. Meget af Nordamerika var over vand og i St. Lawrence området var der stor vulkansk aktivitet. Mount Royal ved Montreal er det eroderede kraterrør efter en af disse vulkaner. Aflejringerne fra hele denne epoke vises tydeligst i de Nordamerikanske Appalachian bjerge, hvor Susquehannafloden har udskåret en dal som viser disse kronologiske nedfældede lag frem, som nåede en tykkelse på over 4000 meter. | 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) Kontinenternes højde steg, og atmosfæren blev beriget med ilt. Jorden var dækket af enorme skove af bregner, der var hundrede meter høje, og af de særlige træer fra dengang, stille skove; man hørte ikke en lyd, ikke engang raslen af et blad, for sådanne træer havde ingen blade. | 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. | |
59:4.18 (680.2) Og således gik det mod slutningen for en af de længste perioder i marine livets evolution, fiskenes tidsalder. Denne periode i verdenshistorien varede næsten halvtreds millioner år; den er blevet kendt af jeres forskere som Devon periode. | 59:4.18 (680.2) And thus drew to a close one of the longest periods of marine-life evolution, the age of fishes. This period of the world’s history lasted almost fifty million years; it has become known to your researchers as the Devonian. | |
5. Jordskorpens forskydningsstadie Bregneskovens kuldannelsesperiode Frøernes tidsalder ^top |
5. The Crustal-Shifting Stage The Fern-Forest Carboniferous Period The Age of Frogs ^top |
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59:5.1 (680.3) Fremkomsten af fisk i den foregående periode markerer højdepunktet i udviklingen af livet i havet. Fra dette tidspunkt bliver udviklingen af livet på land stadig vigtigere. Og denne periode begynder med, at scenen er næsten ideelt sat for fremkomsten af de første landdyr. | 59:5.1 (680.3) The appearance of fish during the preceding period marks the apex of marine-life evolution. From this point onward the evolution of land life becomes increasingly important. And this period opens with the stage almost ideally set for the appearance of the first land animals. | |
59:5.2 (680.4) For 220.000.000 år siden var mange af kontinenternes landområder, deriblandt det meste af Nordamerika, kommet over havet. Landjorden var klædt med et frodig vegetation, dette var virkelig bregnernes tidsalder. Kuldioxid var stadig til stede i atmosfæren, men i aftagende grad. | 59:5.2 (680.4) 220,000,000 years ago many of the continental land areas, including most of North America, were above water. The land was overrun by luxurious vegetation; this was indeed the age of ferns. Carbon dioxide was still present in the atmosphere but in lessening degree. | |
59:5.3 (680.5) Kort tid efter blev den centrale del af Nordamerika oversvømmet, hvilket skabte to store indlandshave. Både Atlanterhavets og Stillehavets kysthøjland lå lige uden for de nuværende kystlinjer. Disse to have forenedes nu og blandede deres forskellige livsformer, og foreningen af denne marine fauna markerede begyndelsen på den hurtige og verdensomspændende nedgang i livet i havet og åbningen af den efterfølgende periode med liv på landjorden. | 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. | |
59:5.4 (680.6) For 210.000.000 år siden dækkede de arktiske have med varmt vand det meste af Nordamerika og Europa. De sydpolare vande oversvømmede Sydamerika og Australien, mens både Afrika og Asien var højtliggende. | 59:5.4 (680.6) 210,000,000 years ago the warm-water arctic seas covered most of North America and Europe. The south polar waters inundated South America and Australia, while both Africa and Asia were highly elevated. | |
59:5.5 (680.7) Da havene var på sit højest, indtraf der pludselig en ny evolutionær udvikling. Hurtigt dukkede de første landdyr op. Der var adskillige arter af disse dyr, som kunne leve på land eller i vand. Disse luftåndende amfibier udviklede sig fra leddyrene, hvis svømmeblærer havde udviklet sig til lunger. | 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. | |
59:5.6 (680.8) Fra havets salte vand kravlede snegle, skorpioner og frøer op på landjorden. I dag lægger frøer stadig deres æg i vand, og deres unger eksisterer først som små fisk, haletudser. Denne periode kunne godt kaldesfrøernes tidsalder. | 59:5.6 (680.8) From the briny waters of the seas there crawled out upon the land snails, scorpions, and frogs. Today frogs still lay their eggs in water, and their young first exist as little fishes, tadpoles. This period could well be known as the age of frogs. | |
59:5.7 (680.9) Meget snart derefter dukkede insekterne op for første gang, og sammen med edderkopper, skorpioner, kakerlakker, fårekyllinger og græshopper spredte de sig snart over verdens kontinenter. Guldsmedefluer målte 75 centimeter på tværs. Tusind arter af kakerlakker udviklede sig, og nogle blev op til 10 cm lange. | 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. | |
59:5.8 (680.10) To grupper af pighuder blev særligt veludviklede, og de er i virkeligheden de ledende fossiler fra denne epoke. De store skaldyrsædende hajer var også højt udviklede, og i mere end fem millioner år dominerede de havene. Klimaet var stadig mildt og jævnt, og livet i havet var kun lidt forandret. Ferskvandsfisk var under udvikling, og trilobitterne var ved at uddø. Koraller var sjældne, og meget af kalken blev lavet af havliljerne. De finere bygningskalksten blev aflejret i løbet af denne epoke. | 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) Vandet i mange af de indre have var så stærkt belastet af kalk og andre mineraler, at det i høj grad forstyrrede mange marine arters fremgang og udvikling. Til sidst klarede havene op som følge af en omfattende stenaflejring, der nogle steder indeholdt zink og bly. | 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. | |
59:5.10 (681.2) Aflejringerne fra denne tidlige karbonalder er fra 500 til 2.000 meter tykke og består af sandsten, skifer og kalksten. De ældste lag indeholder fossiler af både land- og havdyr og -planter sammen med meget grus og bassinaflejringer. Der findes kun lidt brugbart kul i disse ældre lag. Disse aflejringer i hele Europa ligner meget dem, der er aflejret over Nordamerika. | 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. | |
59:5.11 (681.3) Hen imod slutningen af denne epoke begyndte Nordamerikas land at hæve sig. Der var en kort afbrydelse, og havet vendte tilbage og dækkede omkring halvdelen af sit tidligere leje. Dette var en kort oversvømmelse, og det meste af landet var snart langt over vand. Sydamerika var stadig forbundet med Europa via Afrika. | 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. | |
59:5.12 (681.4) I denne epoke så man Vosges-, Schwarzwald og Uralbjergene begynde at tage form. Stumper af andre ældre bjerge kan man finde over hele Storbritannien og Europa. | 59:5.12 (681.4) This epoch witnessed the beginning of the Vosges, Black Forest, and Ural mountains. Stumps of other and older mountains are to be found all over Great Britain and Europe. | |
59:5.13 (681.5) For 200.000.000 år siden begyndte de virkelig aktive stadier af den kulstofholdige periode. I tyve millioner år forud for dette tidspunkt var de tidligere kulaflejringer blevet aflejret, men nu var de mere omfattende kuldannende aktiviteter i gang. Længden af den egentlige kulaflejringsepoke var lidt over femogtyve millioner år. | 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. | |
59:5.14 (681.6) Landet hævede og sænkede sig med jævne mellemrum på grund af det skiftende havniveau forårsaget af aktiviteter på havbunden. Denne uro i jordskorpen—landjordens hævning og sænkning—bidrog sammen med den frodige vegetation i kystsumpene til produktionen af omfattende kulaflejringer, som har gjort denne periode kendt som kultiden. Og klimaet var fortsat mildt over hele verden. | 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. | |
59:5.15 (681.7) Kullagene veksler med skifer, sten og konglomerat. Disse kullag over det centrale og østlige USA varierer i tykkelse fra tolv til femten meter. Men mange af disse aflejringer blev skyllet væk under de efterfølgende landhævninger. I nogle dele af Nordamerika og Europa er de kulholdige lag 5.400 meter tykke. | 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. | |
59:5.16 (681.8) Tilstedeværelsen af trærødder, da de voksede i leret under de nuværende kullag, viser, at kul blev dannet præcis, hvor det nu findes. Kul er de vandkonserverede og trykmodificerede rester af den frodige vegetation, der voksede i moser og på sumpbredder i denne fjerne tidsalder. Kullag indeholder ofte både gas og olie. Tørvelag, resterne af tidligere tiders plantevækst, kan omdannes til en slags kul, hvis de udsættes for det rette tryk og den rette varme. Brunkul har været udsat for mere tryk og varme end andet kul. | 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. | |
59:5.17 (681.9) I Nordamerika varierer kullagene i de forskellige lag, som viser, hvor mange gange landet har hævet og sænket sig, fra ti i Illinois, tyve i Pennsylvania, femogtredive i Alabama til femoghalvfjerds i Canada. Der findes både ferskvands- og saltvandsfossiler i kullagene. | 59:5.17 (681.9) In North America the layers of coal in the various beds, which indicate the number of times the land fell and rose, vary from ten in Illinois, twenty in Pennsylvania, thirty-five in Alabama, to seventy-five in Canada. Both fresh- and salt-water fossils are found in the coal beds. | |
59:5.18 (682.1) I hele denne epoke var bjergene i Nord- og Sydamerika aktive, og både Andesbjergene og de sydlige Rocky Mountains rejste sig. De store kystområder ved Atlanterhavet og Stillehavet begyndte at synke og blev til sidst så eroderede og oversvømmede, at kystlinjerne ved begge oceaner trak sig tilbage til omtrent deres nuværende positioner. Aflejringerne fra denne oversvømmelse er i gennemsnit omkring trehundrede meter. | 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. | |
59:5.19 (682.2) For 190.000.000 år siden udvidede det nordamerikanske kulhav sig mod vest over den nuværende Rocky Mountain-region med udløb i Stillehavet gennem det nordlige Californien. Kul fortsatte med at blive aflejret i hele Amerika og Europa, lag på lag, efterhånden som kystområderne hævede og sænkede sig i løbet af disse tidsaldre med kystsvingninger. | 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. | |
59:5.20 (682.3) For 180.000.000 år siden sluttede den karboniske periode, hvor der blev dannet kul over hele verden—i Europa, Indien, Kina, Nordafrika og Amerika. Ved afslutningen af kuldannelsesperioden steg Nordamerika øst for Mississippi-dalen, og det meste af denne del har lige siden ligget over havet. Denne landhævningsperiode markerer begyndelsen på de moderne bjerge i Nordamerika, både i Appalacherne og i vest. Vulkaner var aktive i Alaska og Californien og i de bjergdannende regioner i Europa og Asien. Østamerika og Vesteuropa var forbundet af det grønlandske kontinent. | 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. | |
59:5.21 (682.4) Landhævningen begyndte at ændre det marine klima fra de foregående tidsaldre og erstatte det med begyndelsen til det mindre milde og mere variable kontinentale klima. | 59:5.21 (682.4) Land elevation began to modify the marine climate of the preceding ages and to substitute therefor the beginnings of the less mild and more variable continental climate. | |
59:5.22 (682.5) Planterne fra denne tid var sporebærende, og vinden var i stand til at sprede dem vidt og bredt. Stammerne på træerne fra kultiden var ofte over to meter i diameter og ofte fyrre meter høje. De moderne bregner er i sandhed levn fra disse svundne tider. | 59:5.22 (682.5) The plants of these times were spore bearing, and the wind was able to spread them far and wide. The trunks of the Carboniferous trees were commonly seven feet in diameter and often one hundred and twenty-five feet high. The modern ferns are truly relics of these bygone ages. | |
59:5.23 (682.6) Stort set var denne periode hvor ferskvandsorganismerne udviklede sig; det allerede eksisterende marine liv forandrede sig lidt. Men det virkelige kendetegn for denne periode var den pludselige tilsynekomst af frøerne og deres mange slægtninge. Et særkendetegn for kultiden var bregnerne og frøerne. | 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. | |
6. Det klimatiske overgangsstadiet frøplanternes periode Den biologiske prøvelses tidsalder ^top |
6. The Climatic Transition Stage The Seed-Plant Period The Age of Biologic Tribulation ^top |
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59:6.1 (682.7) Denne periode markerer slutningen på de afgørende evolutionære forløb for marine livet og indledningen til overgangsperioden som fører til de senere tidsaldre for landdyr. | 59:6.1 (682.7) This period marks the end of pivotal evolutionary development in marine life and the opening of the transition period leading to the subsequent ages of land animals. | |
59:6.2 (682.8) Dette var en tidsalder da livet blev svært udpint. Tusindvis af marine arter uddøde, og livet var næsten ikke etableret på land endnu. Det var en biologisk prøvelsestid, hvor livet næsten forsvandt fra jordens overflade og fra oceanernes dybder. Mod slutningen af den lange æra med havliv var der mere end hundrede tusinde arter af levende væsener på jorden. Ved afslutningen af denne overgangsperiode havde mindre end fem hundrede overlevet. | 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. | |
59:6.3 (682.9) Det særegne ved denne nye periode skyldtes ikke så meget afkølingen af jordskorpen eller det lange fravær af vulkansk aktivitet som en usædvanlig kombination af almindelige og allerede eksisterende påvirkninger—havets begrænsninger og de enorme landmassers stigende højde. Tidligere tiders milde havklima var ved at forsvinde, og den barskere kontinentale vejrtype var under hurtig udvikling. | 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. | |
59:6.4 (683.1) For 170.000.000 år siden fandt der store evolutionære forandringer og justeringer sted over hele jorden. Land hævede sig over hele verden, mens havbunden sank. Isolerede bjergrygge dukkede op. Den østlige del af Nordamerika lå højt over havet, mens den vestlige del langsomt hævede sig. Kontinenterne var dækket af store og små saltsøer og talrige indlandshave, som var forbundet med havene gennem smalle stræder. Strata fra denne overgangsperiode varierer i tykkelse fra 300 til 2000 meter. | 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. | |
59:6.5 (683.2) Jordskorpen foldede sig meget under disse landhævninger. Det var en tid, hvor kontinenterne voksede frem, bortset fra at visse landbroer forsvandt, herunder de kontinenter, der så længe havde forbundet Sydamerika med Afrika og Nordamerika med Europa. | 59:6.5 (683.2) The earth’s crust folded extensively during these land elevations. This was a time of continental emergence except for the disappearance of certain land bridges, including the continents which had so long connected South America with Africa and North America with Europe. | |
59:6.6 (683.3) Gradvist tørrede de indre søer og have ud over hele verden. Isolerede bjerge og regionale gletsjere begyndte at dukke op, især på den sydlige halvkugle, og i mange regioner kan man endda finde gletsjeraflejringer fra disse lokale isformationer blandt nogle af de øvre og senere kulaflejringer. To nye klimatiske faktorer dukkede op—istid og tørke. Mange af jordens højere regioner var blevet tørre og golde. | 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. | |
59:6.7 (683.4) I løbet af disse tider med klimatiske forandringer skete der også store variationer i landplanterne.Frøplanterne dukkede først op, og de gav en bedre fødeforsyning til det efterfølgende øgede landdyreliv. Insekterne gennemgik en radikal forandring. Hvilestadierne blev udviklet for at imødekomme fordringerne til suspenderet livsfunktioner om vinteren og i tørkeperioderne. | 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. | |
59:6.8 (683.5) Blandt landdyrene nåede frøerne deres højdepunkt i den foregående tidsalder og gik hurtigt tilbage, men de overlevede, fordi de kunne leve længe selv i de udtørrede vandhuller og damme i disse fjerntliggende og ekstremt vanskelige tider. I løbet af frøernes nedgangstid, i Afrika, skete det første skridt i frøernes udvikling til krybdyr. Og da landmasserne stadig var forbundne, spredte dette forkrybdyr, som ånder i luften, sig over hele verden. På dette tidspunkt var atmosfæren blevet ændret så meget, at den fungerede glimrende til at understøtte dyrenes åndedræt. Det var kort efter ankomsten af disse frøer, at Nordamerika blev midlertidigt isoleret og afskåret fra Europa, Asien og Sydamerika. | 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. | |
59:6.9 (683.6) Den gradvise afkøling af havvandet bidrog meget til ødelæggelsen af livet i havet. Havdyrene fra den tid søgte midlertidigt tilflugt i tre gunstige områder: den nuværende Mexicanske Golf, Ganges-bugten i Indien og Sicilien-bugten i Middelhavsområdet. Og det var fra disse tre regioner, at de nye marine arter, født i modgang, senere drog ud for at genopbygge havene. | 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. | |
59:6.10 (683.7) For 160.000.000 år siden var landet stort set dækket af vegetation, der var tilpasset landdyrenes liv, og atmosfæren var blevet ideel for dyrenes respiration. Således slutter perioden med indskrænkning af livet i havet og disse prøvelser med biologisk modgang, som eliminerede alle former for liv undtagen dem, der havde overlevelsesværdi, og som derfor var berettiget til at fungere som forfædre til det hurtigere udviklende og højt differentierede liv i de efterfølgende tidsaldre af planetarisk evolution. | 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. | |
59:6.11 (684.1) Afslutningen på denne periode med biologiske trængsler, som jeres studerende kender som permtiden, markerer også afslutningen på den lange palæozoiske æra, som dækker en fjerdedel af planetens historie, to hundrede og halvtreds millioner år. | 59:6.11 (684.1) The ending of this period of biologic tribulation, known to your students as the Permian, also marks the end of the long Paleozoic era, which covers one quarter of the planetary history, two hundred and fifty million years. | |
59:6.12 (684.2) Den enorme oceaniske børnehave for livet på Urantia har tjent sit formål. I de lange tidsaldre, hvor landjorden ikke var egnet til at understøtte liv, før atmosfæren indeholdt tilstrækkelig ilt til at understøtte de højere landdyr, var havet moder for og gav næring til rigets tidlige liv. Nu mindskes havets biologiske betydning gradvist, efterhånden som evolutionens andet stadie begynder at udfolde sig på landjorden. | 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. | |
59:6.13 (684.3) [Præsenteret af en Livsbærer fra Nebadon, et af de oprindelige korps, der blev tildelt Urantia.] | 59:6.13 (684.3) [Presented by a Life Carrier of Nebadon, one of the original corps assigned to Urantia.] |