1C1 Formation of the Earth & Paleontology Flashcards

Approximately 4.6 billion years old.

A shockwave from the supernova explosion.

In the Orion Arm.

(or Orion Spur)

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• It formed about 4.6 billion years ago from a cloud of gas and dust in space.
• This cloud collapsed under its own gravity, causing it to heat up and form a spinning disk.
• The center of this disk became hot and dense, eventually igniting nuclear fusion to create the Sun.

It combined to form other celestial bodies in the solar system.

• Small, solid objects that formed in the early solar system.
• They are the building blocks of planets, created from dust and gas that clumped together.

The Giant-Impact theory

A Mars-sized planetesimal collided with early Earth, causing debris to form the moon.

• Extremely hot, geologically active, and largely molten, with frequent volcanic activity and a hostile environment.
• The surface was likely covered with oceans of magma, and the atmosphere was thick with volcanic gases.

10-20 million years.

• A theory stating that planets formed from solid materials colliding and snowballing over time.
• Issue: It may take too long for gas giants to form this way.

A theory suggesting planets formed from clumps of both dust material and gases collapsing together.

By releasing gases and water vapor during eruptions, which accumulated over time.

A region where a planet is at the right distance from its star to support liquid water.

They were the first photosynthetic organisms that converted carbon dioxide and water into oxygen through photosynthesis.

From volcanic eruptions and tectonic plate movements creating mountains and islands.

Constant bombardment by comets and meteorites.