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Origin of Earth
Origin of Earth
Origin of Earth
Origin of earth
There are various theories regarding the origination of earth and other planets
They are as follows.
1. Nebular hypothesis
2. planetisimal hypothesis
3. gaseous tidal hypothesis
4. Binary star hypothesis
5. Gas dust cloud hypothesis
NEBULAR HYPOTHESIS
This is put forward by Kant, the germen philosopher in 1775, and Laplace, the French
mathematician. It states that the solar system including sun has originated from Nebula
(large gaseous cloud ball) which rotated slowly and than it gradually cooled and contracted.
Due to contraction, the speed of rotation about its axis increased and the centrifugal force in
the equatorial zone also increased. Its causes the nebula to bulged out and ultimately a
gaseous ring was separated out. Later on the separated ring transformed into planet. This
process repeated until nine planets are formed and the central mass of the nebula became
the sun.
PLANETISIMAL HYPOTHESIS
This is proposed by Chamberlain in 1904 it states that, The sun existed before the formation
of the planets. A very large star came close by the sun. Due to the strong disruptive forces
and strong gravitational pull of the stars, a large number of small gas masses were torn and
thrown away from the sun. These on cooling became “planetesimal” which continued to
rotate round the sun in elliptical orbit to form planets.
GASEOUS TIDAL HYPOTHESIS
This hypothesis was put forwarded by Jeans and Jeffrey’s in 1925. It states that A very large
star progressively came near by the sun. Due to gravitational pull large gaseous tides raised
on the surface of the sun. As it began to move away, the gaseous tide was detached from
the sun. it shapes like spindle which broke into ten pieces out which nine cooled to planets
and the last pieces further broke into the number of small pieces called planetoids.
BINARY STAR HYPOTHESIS
This idea was developed by Lyttleton in 1938. it sates that. Before the formation of nine
planets the sun has a companion star. Another star passed close to these double stars and
dragged the companion star away. A gaseous filament was torn from the companion star and
it remain close to the sun and than the planets are originated from this gaseous filament in
the same way as described in the Gaseous tidal Hypothesis.
GAS DUST HYPOTHESIS
This is proposed by C. Von Weizsacker and O. J.Schmidt (1943). In this hypothesis the
planets are thought to be evolved out of the cold cloud of gas and dust which was present
around the sun. It was called “protoplanetary cloud”. It shapes like a disc. Planets were
formed in this cloud by the gradual aggregation of the dispersed matter.
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ISOSTACY:
C. E. Dutton in 1889 suggested that” a gravitational balance exist between the elevated
masses (continents) and ocean basins of the earth’s crust. The mountains stands high
because they are composed of rocks of low density and oceans basin are low because they
are made up of rocks of higher density. To this equilibrium the term is “ISOSTACY” is applied
CONTINENTAL DRIFT
The theory of continental drift was proposed by Wagener in 1912. He noticed that the east
coast of South America fits like a jigsaw puzzle into the west coast of Africa. He therefore
suggested that “all the continents of the world were together and formed a single landmass
called “Pangaea”. Then this landmass broke into the small pieces which drifted away, just
like the pieces of wood floating on water, these continents were drifted away under
“Differential gravitational force”