THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH

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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
Solar System Includes Sun Planets Moons Asteroi
ds Comets
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
Terrestrial or Inner Planets Mercury
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
Terrestrial or Inner Planets Venus
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
Terrestrial or Inner Planets Earth Small
Dense (4 - 5.5 g/cm3) Rocky and include Metals

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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
Diameter 13,000 km (8000 mi) Oceans cover gt
71 of surface Atmosphere 78 nitrogen 21
oxygen Average density 5.5 g/cm3 Crust density
2.5 - 3.0 g/cm3 Core is densest Mantle
surrounds core. Surface temperature ranges
between roughly -50 and 60 C.
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
Terrestrial or Inner Planets Mars
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
Asteroid Belt Between Mars and Jupiter Likely a
broken up planet or planetesimal
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
Jovian or Outer Planets Jupiter Large Low
density (0.7 - 1.5 g/cm3) Gaseous
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
Outer Planets Saturn
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
Outer Planets Uranus
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
Outer Planets Neptune
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
Outer Planets Pluto
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
Sun The Sun is a star Composition 70 hydrogen
27 helium 3 heavier elements Temperature gt2
0,000,000 ºC at interior Energy comes from
fusion of Hydrogen to form Helium
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
Sun Sun's energy is the force behind many
geologic processes on Earth Evaporation of
water to produce clouds which causes
precipitation which causes erosion Uneven
heating of the Earth's atmosphere causes winds
and ocean currents Variations in heat from sun
may trigger continental glaciations Sun and moon
influence tides
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
Moon The Moon is a satellite Diameter 1700 km
Density 3.3 g/cm3 Rotates on its axis at same
rate as it revolves around Earth, which
results in same side of Moon always facing
Earth. Far side of moon is more densely cratered
Dominant rock type is anorthosite (related to
gabbro)
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
Geology of the Moon Lunar highlands
Light-colored Rough topography Highly
cratered More than 4.2 billion years old
(Hadean in age) Maria (once thought to be seas)
Singular Mare, plural Maria Large, dark
areas Covered with basaltic lava flows Age of
basalt is 3.8 to 3.2 billion years
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean
Eons Origin of the Moon
Moon may have formed as a result of an impact
of another body with Earth about 4.4 billion
years ago. Debris from the impact thrown into
orbit around Earth and aggregated to form the
Moon.
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean
Eon Origin of the Moon

• Heat from impacts led to melting and
  differentiation
• (or segregation of materials of different
  density
• low density materials rose and high density
  materials
• sank).
• Low density alumino-silicates rose to surface to
• form a crust
• Higher density iron-rich minerals sank to form
• the lunar mantle, and possibly a small core
• Basaltic lava flows of the maria erupted
  following
• large impacts somewhat later.

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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean
Eon Origin of the Moon
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean
Eons Origin of the Universe

• Big Bang Theory
• Evidence
• The galaxies are rapidly moving apart (Hubble's
  Law)
• indicates that galaxies were closer together in
  the past (This was discovered in 1929 by Edwin
  P. Hubble In 1914, W.M. Slipher first noted the
  red shift.)

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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean
Eons Origin of the Universe
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean
Eons Origin of the Universe

• Red shift
• Light is shifted toward the red (or long
  wavelength)
• end of the spectrum.
• Colors of the spectrum
• R O Y   G   B I V
• Red
• Orange
• Yellow
• Green
• Blue
• Indigo
• Violet

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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean
Eons Origin of the Universe
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean
Eons Origin of the Universe
Red long wavelengthsBlue short wavelengths
Microwaves and radio waves are longer than
visible Ultraviolet and X-rays are shorter than
visible.
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean
Eons Origin of the Universe

• The spectrum of a star reveals
• The star's composition (by means of absorption
  lines various elements in the star's atmosphere
  absorb parts of the light of the spectrum) and
• Whether it is moving toward or away from the
  Earth (and at what speed).

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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean
Eons Origin of the Universe
Light reaching us from distant receding galaxies
has its absorption lines shifted toward the red
end of the spectrum. This indicates that the
galaxy is moving away from the Earth. So, the
red shift indicates that the universe is
expanding. A similar phenomen, except related to
sound, is the Doppler Effect.
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At rest
Away from you
Towards you
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean
Eons Origin of the Universe
Big Bang Theory Evidence 2. Observed
temperature of the universe today (background
microwave radiation) 3 degrees above absolute
zero
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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean
Eons Origin of the Universe

• Big Bang Theory
• Evidence
• Present abundances
• of hydrogen and helium.

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THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean Eons
THE PRIMORDIAL EARTH Hadean and Archean
Eons Formation of the Solar System
The Solar Nebula Hypothesis
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