Gneiss

Gerda Gneiss is a very old lady who has experienced a lot in her long and eventful life.

I wonder if I’m the oldest of them all? At least I am old. So old that I no longer remember what I once was. But I have been through a lot, and I think I am about 1,600 million years old! At any rate, I am more than 1,000 million, which you might think is old enough?

Because about 1,100 million years ago, things really got chaotic around me. Commotion; I’ve heard some say that massive landmasses collided and created a new mountain range. And little me was pushed deep down into the earth’s crust. You can imagine how hot it got-I simply melted and felt pulled in every direction. Suddenly, I got this facelift, with stripes in beautiful colors. You humans don’t seem too fond of stripes on your faces, but I think it looks great!

Are you wondering why I look a little grumpy? I’m not really, just a bit tired. You probably would be too if you’d been through the earth’s upheavals about every 500 million years. But now I’ve been left in peace for a few thousand years, thanks to the glaciers. So I’m starting to feel a bit more rested!