The time it took the Earth to circle the sun was time enough to clear the wreckage, but not enough to fade the memory of what happened there.

译文：地球绕太阳旋转一周的时间，足以清除废墟残骸，但是不足以磨灭对那里发生的事情的记忆。

划线句子作the time 的定语，主谓宾是The time was time? 为何作者不写成The time that/which took the Earth to circle the sun ... ... ?

不能这样改写，这样改写，关系代词that在定语从句作了主语成分。

 似用法老师能否举出其他例子？

以上句子结构实际上是

形式主语It+take +某人/某物+时间+to do sth

做某事花费“某人/某物”多少时间

(to do sth为句子真正主语）

The time it took the Earth to circle the sun was time enough to clear the wreckage, but not enough to fade the memory of what happened there.

先行词time：在定语从句充当took宾语，因此关系代词that省略了。

还原后为：To circle the sun took the Earth+the time

以上句子主干为：The time was time enough to clear...)

句子语法结构分析如下

主句主语：The time

修饰主句主语定语从句：it took the Earth to circle the sun

主句系动词：was

主句表语：time

修饰主句表语后置定语：enough to clear the wreckage

引导并列句表示转折关系连词：but

省略了主语：it

省略系动词：wasn't

表语：enough

结果状语从句: to fade the memory of what happened there