All around us is a concentrated layer of iridium compacted deep in the earths soil. It's seen as a dark line, twisted and crooked from the undulating magma beneath it. Iridium, a non corrosive mental, is found at these high concentrations in three places: the earth's core, in space, and here--at the K-T boundary.
Running in homogeny with the tan, red, and brown compressed rocks and minerals, the dark K-T boundary (also the K-Pg boundary, but I don't think that sounds as nice) stands out as a lone ranger, the product of catastrophe and our universe. Who is responsible for such an obtrusive scar in our geography? Most likely an asteroid. Who got the shit end of the deal? The Dinosaurs. But on the plus side, we exist.
It's a fascinating marker of time and a reminder of our place in the universe. In the same way astronauts look at our meager planet from outer space, observing our disposition against broader universe and maybe for the first time grasping time and distance with some universal perspective, the K-T boundary is our reminder the circumstances of our existence. Where we are, who we are, and how we're here. We see the passing of time--the 66 million year old event bluntly displayed along side the relative calm geology of the rest of our history. We see the reality of our place among the stars, part of the stars, and admit our ignorance to the events of the past, future, and everything outside our planet. Staring at us from our cliffs and valleys, it taunts us to examine our broader history and our acknowledgement of being inseparable from space and nature. Mysterious, peaceful, and powerful--how nice that Time bookmarked a page for us, only to erase all the words.
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