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University of Colorado Boulder

Deep Time: Discovering an Ancient Earth

Ever since our ancestors ventured onto the African savanna, human beings have searched, explored, and wondered about the world. Nowadays, and certainly for most, science is the vehicle that takes us along a path towards understanding nature. It can bring us from sub-atomic realms to the most distant galaxies. Largely through the discipline of geology, science allows us to push back the mists of time and peer into a past measured in billions of years, and aptly referred to as “Deep Time.” Climb on board! This is a journey of discovery—we'll learn about the origins of science and geology itself, to our planet’s oceans, atmosphere, and crust. The focus then turns to how geologists have probed the rise and fall of the Rocky Mountains, and we conclude by considering not only the power of science but also acknowledging its inherent price and responsibility. Certificate earners demonstrate proficiency through a few short assessments and discussion prompts and are prepared to teach or apply the material.

Status: Biology
Status: Research
BeginnerCourse10 hours

Featured reviews

NS

5.0Reviewed Mar 17, 2026

Excellent instructor - very engaging and explains complex topics very well. Great course.

CB

5.0Reviewed Jun 23, 2022

Excellent course very well presented by Alan Lester -loved his enthusiasm and lucid explanation of concepts. Strongly recommended.

JR

5.0Reviewed Oct 22, 2023

Excellent, highly understandable presentation of complex material! I really learned a lot from this course, and I'm very grateful.

UZ

5.0Reviewed Sep 27, 2023

The course was well made and well taught, would definitely recommend to anyone who is interested in Geosciences.

CK

4.0Reviewed Nov 28, 2023

great course, just one star less because it did not talk about other mountains or other geological items, I would have loved to hear about the Jura, Alps, etc.

CC

5.0Reviewed May 27, 2023

I loved taking this course! It was very informative and interesting.

All reviews

Showing: 11 of 11

Jerilynn Radcliffe
5.0
Reviewed Oct 23, 2023
Charles Berman
5.0
Reviewed Jun 23, 2022
Umar Zaman
5.0
Reviewed Sep 28, 2023
Nan Smith
5.0
Reviewed Mar 17, 2026
CJ Conley
5.0
Reviewed May 27, 2023
Mubariz Hassan
5.0
Reviewed Nov 16, 2022
Nikole Koterski
5.0
Reviewed Mar 6, 2024
Patrick Coogan
5.0
Reviewed Jul 30, 2022
Muhammad Musa
5.0
Reviewed Oct 26, 2025
Caroline Keller
4.0
Reviewed Nov 28, 2023
Benona Shouse
4.0
Reviewed Oct 17, 2022