How Was The Earth Formed?

This is a fascinating question that has occupied men and women for centuries. There is some important geological evidence that can help us understand how this planet, and the others, came to orbit the star we call the sun. Of course, it may be necessary to get some of the religious/faith questions out of the way before discussing the geological formation of the earth. In contrast, it may be necessary to get the geological questions out of the way before discussing the religious version of the earth’s formation. But that’s another topic altogether.

According to the recognized scientific evidence the earth was once a huge ball of burning gas, just as the sun is now. But the planet Earth and the others have cooled down quite a bit over the millions of years that our universe has been in existence. The spinning slowed, the temperature cooled and eventually the Earth was not a source of light, as the sun is today. All of the planetary bodies came from one source, a gathering of material from an entity called a nebula. Apparently the sun was at the center of the disc-like formation. The various planets separated and continue to go through their own cooling and shaping process.

This is all a work in progress, so to speak. The earth may have cooled enough so that life as we recognize it can exist on the surface and at a reasonable depth under the surface. But deep in the core of the planet the temperatures are much, much higher. On the surface, the temperature went down enough to cause a crust to form over the core of still-hot liquid. This process of cooling down followed the recognized pattern: hot gas cooled and the surface of the earth was covered with liquid; some of this liquid evaporated and the amount of surface covered by water was reduced so that we have the oceans and land masses of the present time. Scientists believe that the earth was cool enough at the poles and on the surface to produce the massive glaciers. The remnants of these still exist in the far north and south of the planet.

Studies have shown that the process of cooling from a hot ball of gas to the current condition left the Earth with several layers. Below the crust mentioned earlier, is the mantle, the portion that contains very heavy rock. Then there are two layers of the core, one which is extremely hot, iron in a liquid state.

But it wouldn’t be accurate to visualize the Earth’s crust as being a solid sheet or the inner parts as unchanging from their current state. The crust is made up of separate pieces commonly called plates. These shift and cause such events as earthquakes (and tsunamis in the oceans). Scientists have been able to isolate a number of facts about the Earth and its formation. But the complete story is far from being told. New evidence is uncovered constantly that helps us understand the formation of the Earth.

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