WHAT HAPPENED DURING EARTHS “DARK AGE” (THE FIRST 500 MILLION YEARS)?
Scientists believe that another planet collided with Earth during the latter stages of its formation, creating debris that became the moon and causing Earth to melt down to its core. This period is critical to understanding planetary evolution, especially how the Earth developed its atmosphere and oceans, but scientists have little information because few rocks from this age are preserved. HOW DID LIFE BEGIN? The origin of life is one of the most intriguing, difficult, and enduring questions in science. The only remaining evidence of where, when, and in what form life first appeared springs from geological investigations of rocks and minerals. To help answer the question, scientists are also turning toward Mars, where the sedimentary record of early planetary history predates the oldest Earth rocks, and other star systems with planets. HOW DOES EARTH’S INTERIOR WORK, AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT THE SURFACE? Scientists know that the mantle and core are in constant convective motion. Core con
