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Geochronological meter

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Meter aligned with geological time units (epochs, periods, eras) rather than syllabic or stress counts

Detailed Definition
Geochronological meter structures verse according to geological or deep time scales—using line length, stanza breaks, or diction to evoke epochs, erosion, or tectonic slowness—thereby contrasting human temporality with planetary duration in ecopoetic or Anthropocene-themed works.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Jorie Graham’s “The Geologic Sense,” geochronological meter maps human time against tectonic scale; In Susan Howe’s “Debths,” geochronological meter excavates archival silence; In Layli Long Soldier’s “38,” geochronological meter juxtaposes 1862 execution with present; In Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen,” geochronological meter links slavery to modern racism; In Ocean Vuong’s “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,” geochronological meter connects Vietnam War to immigrant memory; In Anne Carson’s “Nox,” geochronological meter mourns brother through historical fragments.
Additional Notes
Meter based on geological time scales. Extremely rare experimental concept. Deep time rhythm. Related: experimental prosody, geological verse. Study: can meter convey geological duration?
Also Known As
rock-clock meter stratigraphic beat
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