FORMATION OF PLANET EARTH

FROM A SOUP OF GAS & DUST

MD ANISUR HOQUE
ANIRBAN DEY
M.SC 1ST YEAR
CONTENTS
• Origin of Universe
• Stellar nucleosynthesis
• Origin of solar system
• Cosmological classification of solar system
• Element fractionation in solar system
• Evolution of Solar system
• Chemical evolution of Earth
Origin of Universe
• Big Bang Theory
Universe began 13.7 billion years ago . At that time all matters was in one place at a single instant
which is known as point of singularity. This term described that large amount of matter gathered
at a single point in space time. At the Big Bang there was a huge expansion of matter ,an
expansion that has continued ever since .
Between 10-50 & 10-30 after Big Bang there was particularly rapid expansion of universe , known as
Inflation of universe and represent the first burst of growth of Universe. When the universe old ,
temperature were of the order of 10 billion degrees. At the point of universe permitted with
radiation and sub atomic particles (quark and lepton).when the universe was few minutes old the
temperature were about 1 million degrees, protons and neutrons formed the atomic nuclei
leading to production of primordial H, He ions. This charges particles form a state of matter
called plasma state. The evolution of the Universe occurred several hundred million years later
when stars began to form from large clouds of hydrogen and helium gas, which eventually
evolved into clusters of galaxies each of which contained hundreds of billions of stars.
Stellar Nucleosynthesis

• Big Bang (H,He)

• Spallation(Li,Be,B)
• Stellar fusion(C – Fe)
• Neutron capture(Element having
atomic number greater than Fe)
 ORIGIN OF SOLAR SYSTEM
• Nebular Hypothesis
Proposed by Kant and Laplace(independently)
This hypothesis suggests that the sun and planets
including the earth have formed from a disc shaped
rotation ‘nebula’.
• Planetesimal Hypothesis
Proposed by Chamberlin and Moulton
The sun existed before the formation of the planet a
large passing star approached very close to the sun due
to the disruptive force of the sun and the strong
gravitational pull of the passing star giant masses of gas
were torn from the surface of the pre-existing sun. The
giant masses of gas was broke into large no of small
chunks which on pulling gave rise to solid
particles(Planetesimals).Those particles started flying as
cold bodies into orbits around the sun in the plane of the
passing star. By collision and gravitational attraction the
larger planetesimal swept up the smaller pieces and thus
planets were formed.
COSMOCHEMICAL CLASSIFICATION
OF SOLAR SYSTEM
• From the study of differentiated meteorites the
solid material can be classified broadly in three
groups : silicates, metal, sulfides. Analysis of
these phases shows that most elements have a
greater affinity with one of them than with the
others.
• Based on these observation geochemist V.M.
Goldschmidt classified elements in four groups
(a) lithophile elements: silicate loving, having
electronegativity below 1.7
(b) siderophile elements: metal loving
electronegativity between 1.8 to 2.3
(c) chalcophile elements: sulphide loving
electronegativity 2.2 or above
(d) atmophile elements: gaseous elements
ELEMENT FRACTIONATION IN
SOLAR SYSTEM
During the development of the solar system the
element have been chemically sorted or
fractionated on the basis of their chemical and
physical properties. The small inner planets
Mercury, Venus , Earth, Mars (terrestrial planets)
have higher density and made up of Refractory
elements(those elements remain solid upto very
high temperature)
The outer planets Jupiter ,Saturn ,Uraneus ,
Neptune are of large size and less density. These
planets consist mostly of volatile elements.
This fractionation happens due to the effect of
solar wind. The refractory elements persisted in
solid phase at that high temperature but the
volatile elements vaporised and travelled far from
the sun.
EVOLUTION OF SOLAR SYSTEM
• The overall composition of the solar nebula is more or less the same as the
present composition if the earth.
• The heavy element present in the supernova of the sun were due to the
earlier phase of Steller formation.
• Outcome of gravitational collapse
A)mass accretion towards the cloud’s centre of gravity -- Release of potential
energy in the form of heat-- thermonuclear fusion --- Beginning of infant sun
B)Dispersed outer part of the cloud contracted under gravity---conservation of
angular momentum---increase in angular velocity--- shapeless cloud flattened
into disk—called proto-planetary disk
• Equilibrium condensation theory
Planets will differ in content of volatile on the basis of
(i)the distance from the Sun at which they accreted, and/or
(ii) the stage in this condensation sequence at which they accreted to
planetary size
Observational evidence of condensation sequence

calcium–aluminium-rich inclusions (CAIs) that are

preserved as minute white specks in some
carbonaceous chondrite meteorites(oxides and
silicates of Ca, Al and T– thermodynamically
condensed in highest temperature)
Their absolute age 4567.30 ± 0.16Ma
• The disk became progressively lumpy --- small
particle collided and agglomerated into large one
and form planetesimals
• The main accretion stage formed lasted for 30-
40Ma
• Earth suffered catastrophic impact – perhaps 50–
150Ma after the formation of the Solar System –
the mantle of the colliding planetary body was
ejected, forming an orbiting debris disk– formed
Moon.
CHEMICAL EVOLUTION OF EARTH
• The Core
Earth formed from aggregation of large planetesimals---collisional
energy melted the outer layer--- magma ocean
Isotopic evidence from differentiated meteorites suggests that even
small precursor planetary bodies segregated metallic cores within
5Ma of formation, and so impactors accreting to the Earth would
already have formed metallic cores---suggests that core segregation
within the Earth took place continuously, hand in hand with
planetesimal accretion.
The gravitational accumulation of dense metal into the centre of
the molten Earth has two important implications: large amounts of
gravitational potential energy would have been released,
sustaining a partially molten state of the overlying mantle; and the
siderophile elements would have been efficiently scavenged from
the mantle into the core.
Average compositions (oxide percentages) of
The earth core is geochemically almost similar to iron meteorite but
density of core less than iron meteorite so it is interpreted that the Earth’s mantle and crust
there are some amount(8%) of less denser materials.
The Mantle

Consist 70% of mass of earth

a partial melt develops in equilibrium with solid rock, lower-melting
major components of the rock (Fe, Al, Na, Si) enter the melt
preferentially, leaving the residual solids enriched in refractory (Mg-
rich) end-members and crystal dumped the incompatible element into
the melt extraction of magma from mantle to crust progressively
depleted the these elements in the mantle and mg rich minerals
increased in the mantle.
The Crust
• The basaltic crust of the ocean basins, being a product of partial melting of mantle peridotite,
has a higher Mg content (although much lower than the mantle itself) and lower Si (less than
50%)
• During this time oceanic crust becomes partially hydrated by chemical interaction with ocean
water and it acquires a blanket of sediment. This modification affected the crust in two ways
• i)lowering of melting point
• ii)more fractionation of incompatible element
• Repeated melting and metamorphism within the continental crust have led to its internal
differentiation into a lower, more refractory continental crust depleted in incompatible
elements; and an upper crustal layer, roughly 10km thick, which is enriched in Na, K and Si.
Most of the heat flow we measure in continental areas originates in this top 10km, into which
almost the whole crustal inventory of the radioactive incompatible elements K, U and Th has
been concentrated.
CONCLUSION
• The Earth is continuously geochemically modifying itself with the
time. Most astonishing thing about the earth is that it is still dynamic
where all other planets formed in the same time are not dynamic.
• There are more questions to answer like how the so much amount of
water present in earth and where from it originated ?

Reference-
1)Chemical fundamentals of Geology-Robin Gill
2)Introduction To Planetary Science – Gunter Faure,Teresa M Mensing