Introduction to Early Earth

Core Formation

4600 BCE

During accretion, the heat melted rocks and metals. Then, gravitational attraction pulled the denser materials into the center and created the core of the earth.

Planetary Accretion

4600 BCE

This was when elements released from the bigbang started to rotate faster and faster due to gravitational attraction. The rotation created a concentrated center, thus creating the sun. Other concentrations rotating around formed planets like the earth.

Planetary Cooling

Period: 4500 BCE to 2700 BCE

Planetary cooling was when the hot surface of the earth, caused by continuous bombardment of asteroids and comets, began to cool off. As the planet cooled, volcanoes released gases and created the atmosphere, lava cooled down to created the solid crust, and oceans formed from asteroids that struck the earth.

Formation of the Moon

4400 BCE

An asteroid the size of Mars crashed into earth and the impact created debris orbiting around the earth. These debris accumulated and formed the moon. In this stage, the moon was closer than the moon is today.

Formation of the Earth

4400 BCE

Debris from the accretion started to collide and over time, they created the Earth.

End of Heavy Bombardment

3800 BCE

This was when the constant bombardment of asteroids and comets came to an end. In this stage, the Late Heavy Bombardment period had finished, so most of the planets int he solar system settled in the place the way it is today.

Formation of Mars

1350 BCE

Mars was formed around this date.