THE EARTH

FACTS ON EARTH!
• Earth is the THIRD PLANET in the Solar
System.
• LARGEST of the terrestrial planets.
• FIFTH largest planet in the solar system.
FACTS ON EARTH!
• Earth is the only planet to be named in
English. The word “Earth” is Old English
word for “land”.
• Earth is the only planet that sustains life.
FACTS ON EARTH!
• Before 500 BC, people thought that the
Earth was flat.
• Aristotle and Pythagoras – spherical
• Sir Isaac Newton – Oblate spheroid
FACTS ON EARTH!
• Earth’s motion – Rotation and Revolution
• Earth has an imaginary line on which it rotates, known
as Axis.
• When the Earth rotates on its axis, it is called Rotation.
• Rotation causes days and nights on Earth.
• Earth takes rotation from west to east.
FACTS ON EARTH!
• Earth has an imaginary line on which it goes around the
sun, known as Orbit.
• Earth’s orbit is slightly oval-shaped which brings the
earth near the sun and far from the sun.
• Revolution causes changes in the seasons on earth.
• 365 1/4
FACTS ON EARTH!
• Approximately 71% percent of the earth is covered in
water. Only 1% of this water is drinkable.
• Approximately 29% - land
• Earth was once believed to be the center of the
universe. – Geocentric
• Sun-centered Universe - heliocentric
 EARTH
HISTORY AND GEOLOGIC TIME
Essential Question

How do scientists determine

the geologic time?
GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE
it provides meaningful time frame
within which events of the geologic
pasts are arranged.
 EARTH’S HISTORY
PETROLOGY STRATIGRAPHY PALEONTOLOGY

Branch of geology Studies rock layers Studies the life

that deals with the (strata) and that existed prior
origin composition, to, or sometimes
layering
structure and at the start of, the
classification of (stratifications).
rocks.
Holocene epoch
 EARTH’S HISTORY
PETROLOGY STRATIGRAPHY PALEONTOLOGY

Branch of geology Studies rock layers Studies the life

that deals with the (strata) and that existed prior
origin composition, to, or sometimes
layering
structure and at the start of, the
classification of (stratifications).
rocks.
Holocene epoch
HOW DO SCIENTISTS DETERMINE
THE GEOLOGIC TIME?
 FOSSIL DATING

RELATIVE DATING
ABSOLUTE DATING
 RELATIVE DATING
Determines the chronological
order without determining the
specific age.
RELATIVE DATING
Is the science of
determining the
relative order,
without knowing
their “true” age.
 PRINCIPLES
Principle of Superposition
Principle of Original Horizontality
Principle of Cross-cutting Relationships
Principle of Inclusion
PRINCIPLE OF SUPERPOSITION
The layer at the bottom of the
sequence is oldest and
successively higher levels are
successively younger.
PRINCIPLE OF SUPERPOSITION
PRINCIPLE OF ORIGINAL HORIZONTALITY

Sedimentary rocks are

deposited as horizontal or
nearly horizontal.
PRINCIPLE OF ORIGINAL HORIZONTALITY
PRINCIPLE OF CROSS-CUTTING RELATIONSHIP

Faults or igneous intrusion

are younger than the rocks
they cut across.
PRINCIPLE OF CROSS-CUTTING RELATIONSHIP
PRINCIPLE OF INCLUSION
Rock fragments must be
older than the rock layer
they were embedded.
PRINCIPLE OF CROSS-CUTTING RELATIONSHIP
 ABSOLUTE DATING
Process of determining an age
on a specified time scale in
archaeology and geology.
ABSOLUTE DATING
RADIOMETRIC DATING
A method of determining the
absolute age of an object by
comparing the relative percentages
of an unstable radioactive(parent)
isotope and a stable(daughter)
isotope.
 ISOTOPE
Aversion of an element where the
only difference is more or less
neutrons.
Example: Carbon 12 – 6 protons
and 6 neutrons; Carbon 14 – 6
protons, 8 neutrons)
ISOTOPE
 HALF-LIFE
The average time required for a half
a sample of a radioactive isotope to
break down by radioactive decay to
form a stable daughter isotope via
radioactive decay.
 HALF-LIFE
Example:
1st HL 2nd HL 3rd HL 4th HL
Parent
100 % 50 % 25 % 12.5 % 6.25 %
Material

1st HL 2nd HL 3rd HL 4th HL

Daughter 0% 50 % 75 % 87.5 % 93.75 %
Material
HALF-LIFE
HALF-LIFE
 Practice Question #1
1.) An ancient bone was analyzed and found to contain carbon-14 that
had decayed for nearly two half-lives. Approximately how old is the bone?

5730 x 2 = 11, 460 years

 Practice Question #2
2.) An igneous rock contains one half of its original amount of potassium-40.
How old is the rock?

Potassium-40 half-life =
1.3 billion

Age of an igneous
rock= 1.3 BYA
 Practice Question #3
3.)After 11,400 years, approximately how much carbon-14 would remain in
a fossil?

5730 x 2 = 11, 460 years

=2 half-lives

2half-lives = 25%
Practice Question #4
4.) Selenium-83 has a half-life of 25 minutes. How many minutes would it
take for a 10 mg sample to decay and have only 1.25 mg of it remain?

10 mg  5 mg  2.5 mg  1.25 mg
= 3 half-lives

3x 25 minutes = 75 minutes
 Practice Question #5
5.)If 100 g of Au-198 decays to 6.25 g in 10.8 days, what is the half-life of Au-
198?

100 g  50 g  25 mg  12.5 mg
6.25
= 4 half-lives

10.8 days/4=2.7 days