Convert Shakes to Megayears
Convert Shakes (sh) to Megayears (Ma) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
Ma = sh × 3.168873851e-22
About Shakes
A shake = exactly 10 ns (10⁻⁸ s) - the informal unit for fission prompt-neutron generation time, coined at Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project (1943-1945). A prompt-neutron generation in a supercritical core takes ~1-10 shakes; a full explosive chain reaction unfolds over ~50-100 shakes. The name alludes to 'two shakes of a lamb's tail'. Still used in reactor physics and weapons-design calculations. 1 shake = 10 ns.
About Megayears
A megayear (1 Ma) = 10⁶ yr ≈ 3.156 × 10¹³ s - the timescale of geology and tectonic evolution. The K-Pg mass extinction at 66.0 Ma; Cambrian explosion ~538.8 Ma; Great Oxygenation Event ~2,400 Ma. Plate motion at 2-10 cm/yr = 200-1,000 km per Ma (Atlantic ~3,000 km wider since Pangaea rifting ~200 Ma ago). Background extinction rate measured in extinctions per million species-years. 1 Ma = 10⁶ yr.
Quick Reference Table
| Shakes (sh) | Megayears (Ma) |
|---|---|
| 1 sh | 3.169 × 10-22 Ma |
| 2 sh | 6.338 × 10-22 Ma |
| 5 sh | 1.584 × 10-21 Ma |
| 10 sh | 3.169 × 10-21 Ma |
| 25 sh | 7.922 × 10-21 Ma |
| 50 sh | 1.584 × 10-20 Ma |
| 100 sh | 3.169 × 10-20 Ma |