Tag Archives: Earth’s History

A depiction showing the orbits of known Near-Earth Asteroids (blue) in comparison to the relatively circular orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth (white), and Mars. This view looks down onto the north pole of the solar system.
~500,000: Predicting the Next Major Asteroid Impact on Earth

Exploring the likelihood and potential consequences of future major asteroid impacts on Earth, and the [...]

Has humanity's impact on planet Earth marked the start of a new geological era, often referred to as the Anthropocene? Some scientists believe this may be the case.
1870: Unveiling the Anthropocene – Humanity’s Epoch

The Anthropocene, a proposed geologic epoch, reflects the significant impact of human activities on the [...]

Main image: An 1870 photograph of geologist and biologist Louis Agassiz. Inset: An illustration by J. Bettanier of the Matterhorn glacier, located near Zermatt, Switzerland, from Louis Agassiz's 1840 book, "Études sur les Glaciers."
1837: Unveiling the Secrets of Ice Ages – The Contributions of Louis Agassiz

Louis Agassiz's pioneering work in geology led to the discovery of ice ages, explaining the [...]

Top: An 1865 engraving featuring the geologist Sir Charles Lyell. Bottom: An illustration from Lyell's "Elements of Geology," displaying an idealized cross-section of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks in the geological record.
1830: Charles Lyell’s Uniformitarianism – Unraveling Earth’s Timeless Mysteries

Charles Lyell's 1830 book "Principles of Geology" established uniformitarianism, proposing that current geological processes hold [...]

This image shows a glacially smoothed section of Archean greenstone, originally basaltic pillow lava, from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, spanning approximately 10 feet (3 meters) across.
c. 3.5 Billion BCE: Unraveling the Mysteries of Greenstone Belts

Explores greenstone belts, key geological features from the Archean eon, highlighting their role in the [...]

This image shows contemporary stromatolite domes in the shallow waters of Shark Bay, Western Australia. The inset provides a cross-sectional view of a 2.4-inch-tall (6 cm) fossilized stromatolite from the Old Range of Western Australia.
c. 3.7 Billion BCE: Stromatolites – Windows into Earth’s Early Life

Delves into stromatolites, the oldest known fossil evidence of life on Earth, explaining their formation [...]

This image relates to the interdisciplinary study of life's origin and evolution on Earth, encompassing fields such as astronomy, astrophysics, biology, chemistry, and geology.
c. 3.8 Billion BCE: The Origins of Life on Earth – A Chemical Story

Explores the enigmatic origins of life on Earth, emphasizing chemical evidence over fossils, and discusses [...]