The History of Earth

  • The Big Bang
    14,000 BCE

    The Big Bang

    Beginning of space, time, energy, and matter. The universe began as a hot and infinitely dense point only a few mm wide.
  • Helium and Hydrogen
    14,000 BCE

    Helium and Hydrogen

    Protons and neutrons fused to create nuclei and the first chemical element was created, Helium. Electrons attached to nuclei and created Hydrogen. The two elements dotted the universe with atomic clouds, in which gas atoms clustered and formed the seeding of galaxies.
  • Period: 14,000 BCE to 1500 BCE

    14 bya - 1.5 bya

  • Planetary Accretion
    4600 BCE

    Planetary Accretion

    Gravitational forces attracted particles, which caused them to collect to form a massive object
  • Moon's Formation
    4530 BCE

    Moon's Formation

    An asteroid about the size of Mars smashed into Earth, material from both Earth and the asteroid was thrown out into orbit, gravity attracted the ejected particles together and formed the Moon. The moon is made of lighter and less dense elements than Earth because the material ejected from the impact only came from the crust; the rocky core was untouched.
  • Sun and Earth's Formation
    4500 BCE

    Sun and Earth's Formation

    A nearby star exploded and sent a shock wave through the dust cloud, increasing its rate of spin. As a result, most of the mass became concentrated in the middle, forming the sun. Smaller concentrations of mass rotating around the center formed the planets, including Earth.
  • End of Heavy Bombardment
    3800 BCE

    End of Heavy Bombardment

    Earth suffered from constant attacks of leftover planet-building material, scarring the surface. During the Late Heavy Bombardment, collisions with comets brought water to the Earth
  • Planetary Cooling
    3000 BCE

    Planetary Cooling

    Molten planet- clumps of asteroids, meteors, and comets formed the planet's sphere shape. Magma from volcanic eruptions hardened, which created Earth's outer core.
  • Earth’s Core Formation
    1500 BCE

    Earth’s Core Formation

    Different materials in space collided, causing Earth to heat up. The molten material separated into layers, which gravity pulled the denser material into the center. The inner core is Earth's deepest layer. It is a ball of solid iron surrounded by a liquid outer core.