The document discusses the history of the Earth and methods used to determine geological timescales. It describes how rocks form records of past events and processes. Early scientists estimated the age of the Earth to be between 24-100 million years based on studies of heat loss and sodium accumulation in oceans. The principle of uniformitarianism states that past and present geological processes were similar. Relative dating methods order events but do not provide absolute ages. Radiometric dating using radioactive isotopes provides absolute ages and was used to construct the geologic timescale in eras, periods, and epochs marked by significant events in Earth's history.