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 ongoing efforts to predict and prepare for these events

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 Earth since the Industrial Revolution, marking a critical shift in our planet's climatic, ecological, and atmospheric conditions

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 presence of glacial features in currently ice-free regions. His hypothesis that vast ice sheets once covered much of the northern [...]

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 the key to understanding Earth's ancient history. This idea, opposing the catastrophism view, helped shape modern geology by advocating a [...]

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 growth of continental crust and their significance in understanding Earth's early history.

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 by microbial groups, particularly cyanobacteria, and their role in the Earth's atmospheric evolution.

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 how unique isotopic patterns in ancient rocks hint at early life forms. It also covers the potential impact of the [...]