How long is an eon in years?

Answer 1

Eon has a number of meanings. In Astronomy, an eon refers to 1 billion (#10^9#) years. But it also refers to a very long, unspecified period of time, or specific geologic stages of the Earth.

Since this question is posted in Astronomy, I will assume that the answer of eon = #10^9# years is the most appropriate, however it is not the most common.

Similar to how "forever" and "ages" are used, the term eon (or aeon) is commonly used to refer to an extremely long but ambiguous period of time.

The four major eons of Earth history—the Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic, and Phanerozoic—are identified by major stages in Earth's geologic history rather than by fixed periods of time. These eons are further subdivided into eras and periods.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer 2

Elena Antonova

An eon typically refers to an indefinite and extremely long period of time in geological terms. It can span billions to tens of billions of years.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.