Earth Sciences 1022A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Metamorphic Rock, Hydrosphere, Continental Crust

• School: Western University
• Department: Earth Sciences
• Course: Earth Sciences 1022A/B
• Professor: Stephen R Hicock

Document Summary

1022a lecture 1 introduction to physical geology and plate tectonics. Earth science is another word for geology - the study of earth. Uniformitarianism: the present is the key to the past. The earth has been around for billions of years scientifically. Earth started to form 5 billion years ago by the nebular theory. Nebula (cloud) of hydrogen and helium contracted under gravity into the flat disc of our solar system. Nebula had a rotational movement, force resulted into the center. The cloud flatted out and became a disc in space. It gradually sorted itself into our solar system. Nebula was a big cloud containing hydrogen and helium, the force brought it to the interior of the nebula. Once the cloud flatted out our planet resulted. Heat was produced - the heavy stuff went to the center of the earth) Light stuff (elements, molecules) travelled to the crust. The mantle also resulted from this gravitational force.