1. Formation of the Earth

2. Big Bang Theory Origin of our universe Happened 13.7 billion years ago
Everything in the universe was together in the size of a golf ball
There was a massive explosion that expanded

3. Nebula Theory Created the solar system Happened 4.5 billion years ago
Most of the matter went into the sun
Left a small ring of debris
Gas was pushed out and formed the gassy planets
Rocks stayed close and formed the rocky planets

4. Iron Catastrophe Over two - thirds of the Earth melted
Happened about 500 million years after the Earth was formed
Caused by:
Radioactive decay
Meteorite impact
Formed oceans of lava
Formed the layers of the Earth

5. Earth’s Layers Inner Core Solid Made up of iron and nickel Outer Core
Liquid
Source of magnetic field
Mantle
80% of the volume of planet earth
Crust
Oceanic crust
Continental crust

6. Formation of the Moon
Moon was formed tens of millions of years after the Iron Catastrophe
Mars sized object collided with Earth
Collision caused the upper Earth to melt
Material blown off the Earth formed the moon
Moon is made up of the same material as the mantle (basalt)

7. Pangea “Pangea” - all of Earth “Pan”- all “Gea”- Earth
supercontinent that all continent
branched from
Proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1915
Wegener noticed that:
The continents fit together
Coastal geology was the same
Fossils matched