The History of the Earth

Planetary Accretion

4500 BCE

Planetary accretion was the first stage in the formation of Earth and other terrestrial planets. It occurred about 4.5 billion years ago by bodies of moon-sized materials colliding with each other, and the energy from those collisions resulted in an ocean of lava.

Formation of the Moon

4500 BCE

The moon formed when a mars-sized planet collided with Earth. The debris from this impact started to collect itself and orbit the Earth, which eventually formed into the moon.

Planetary Cooling

3800 BCE

After the late heavy bombardment, the Earth started to cool off on the surface, and large bodies of water formed. This surface is what we now call the crust.

End of Heavy Bombardment

3800 BCE

Before the end of heavy bombardment, in the late heavy bombardment, asteroids constantly collided with Earth for a period of 0.3 billion years. These asteroids carried traces of water and other organic materials, which helped shape the Earth we know.

Core Formation

1500 BCE

After a long term of planetary cooling, the heat, and energy condensed into the center of the Earth, which eventually became the core of the Earth. This event took place 1.5 billion years ago; nowadays, the core is what provides Earth with its energy and heat, and is also what is causing volcanic action.