-
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. -
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
-
4600 BCE
Planetary Accretion
Gravitational forces attracted particles, which caused them to collect to form a massive object -
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. -
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. -
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 -
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. -
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.
