An unconformity is a buried erosion surface separating two rock masses or strata of different ages, indicating that sediment deposition was not continuous.
In this case, the older Sandia Granite (1.5 Billion years) is in direct contact with strata of Pennsylvanian sedimentation (300 million years). Thus 1.2 Billion years of history is missing.
Dear Ma
Your igneous swirls betray the true story
Lying directly beneath the crumbling beds of stone
Perfect contact
Almost Impossible
Ageless granite cast in primordial fires
Kissing youth
Keeping its dark secret
Traceless
Your methodical, plodding record
Erased by an unknown
Countless entries of life and death
Gone
Missing links
A void inferred by
Uniformitarian principles
Which you beg to disguise
And perhaps to remind us
That our puny time of existence
On your terms can be vaporized
Without a trace
A million times over
And you would still have time for breakfast
Copyright 2009 Patrick Granfors