🌍 How did the Earth form?

 

How the Earth Formed 

🌎 Introduction

Planet Earth — a giant mass of water and mud revolving in space — is the only known “home sweet home,” formed just for us as it gives us food to eat, water to drink, and air to breathe, making it a perfect breeding ground for life to evolve.

But have you ever wondered: How did this giant planet come into existence in the first place?
I'm sure you did. So let me tell you this astonishing story of the Earth’s formation.

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💥 The Beginning: The Big Bang

It all began a long time ago, about 15 billion years ago, when the whole universe was inside a tiny bubble called the Cosmic Egg.

Then, about 13.8 billion years ago, the little bald bubble began heating up and generating energy until it finally exploded with a bang. Today, we call this massive explosion the Big Bang.

1. Formation of the Solar System 🌌

About 4.6 billion years ago, our solar system began as a massive cloud of gas, dust, and ice floating in space. An exploding star nearby created shock waves that caused this cloud—called a nebula—to collapse inward.

As it collapsed:

• The middle became the sun.

• The leftover material spread around it in a spinning disc of rubble.

This disc of dust and rocks is known as a protoplanetary disc, and it is where all planets, including Earth, were born.

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2. Space Debris and Early Planetoids

In the spinning disc around the young sun:

• Tiny particles stuck together

• Pebbles collided to form rocks

• Rocks clumped into boulders

• Gravity pulled larger chunks together

Soon, small growing bodies called planetoids formed. Earth began as one of these planetoids made of rocks, gas, and dirty ice.

Fact:
This process still happens today around young stars we observe in space.

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3. The Growing Earth: A Violent Beginning

Millions of years passed, and Earth grew as more space debris smashed into it. These collisions were incredibly powerful—so powerful that they melted the entire surface of early Earth.

Because everything was melted:

• Heavy metals (iron and nickel) sank to the center → forming the core

• Lighter materials floated upward → becoming the mantle and crust

This separation is called planetary differentiation.

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4. Cooling Down: A Solid Crust Forms

By around 4.4 billion years ago:

• Most large debris had already hit the planet

• The surface began to cool

• A solid crust formed

It still wasn’t stable yet—volcanoes and cracks constantly reshaped it.

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5. Oceans Form and Continents Rise

As Earth cooled further:

• Water vapor escaped from hot rocks

• It condensed and fell as rain

• Rain filled huge low-lying areas to form oceans

Over time:

• Lightweight rocks rose above the oceans to form continents

• Heavier rocks remained under the seas

Fact:
Earth is the only known planet with permanent liquid water on its surface.

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6. The Earth Today

Even now, Earth’s interior remains hot. Beneath our feet:

• Rock melts

• Solidifies again

• Moves the continents slowly over time

This process causes:

• Earthquakes

• Volcanoes

• Mountain formation

• Continents drifting apart or smashing together

Modern landmasses look very different from the early continents and will continue to change millions of years into the future.

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7. Is the Earth Round?

Earth is round, but not a perfect sphere.

It is an oblate spheroid, meaning:

• It bulges at the equator

• It is slightly flattened at the poles

• This shape is caused by Earth’s rotation

Fact:
Earth’s equator is about 42 km (26 miles) wider than the pole-to-pole distance.

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🧠 Quick Quiz

1. Did the sun or the Earth come first?
   → The sun came first.

2. When did the Earth begin to form?
   → Around 4.6 billion years ago.

3. What type of planet is Earth?
   → A rocky planet (terrestrial planet).

💡 Trivia Time

Did you know?

April 22nd every year is observed as Earth Day. It was first organized in 1970 to promote ecology and raise awareness of the growing problems of air, water, and soil pollution.

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⭐ Key Facts to Remember

• Earth formed from a giant cloud of dust, gas, and ice.

• Gravity pulled debris together to form planetoids.

• Repeated impacts melted early Earth and created its internal layers.

• Earth cooled, forming a crust, oceans, and continents.

• Continents still move due to plate tectonics.

• Earth is not perfectly round—it bulges in the middle.

LINK TO QUIZ 

🌍 Glossary – Earth Formation (English + Vietnamese)

1. Solar Nebula

Definition: A large cloud of gas and dust in space from which the Sun and planets formed.

Vietnamese: Tinh vân Mặt Trời – đám mây khí và bụi lớn trong không gian, nơi Mặt Trời và các hành tinh hình thành.

2. Gravity

Definition: The force that pulls objects toward each other, helping dust and rocks combine into planets.

Vietnamese: Lực hấp dẫn – lực kéo các vật lại với nhau, giúp bụi và đá kết hợp tạo thành hành tinh.

3. Accretion

Definition: The gradual process by which small particles stick together and form larger bodies.

Vietnamese: Sự bồi tụ / sự tích tụ – quá trình các hạt nhỏ dính lại và tạo thành vật thể lớn hơn.

4. Planetesimal

Definition: Small early building blocks of planets, formed by the sticking of dust and rock.

Vietnamese: Tiểu hành tinh sơ khai – những khối nhỏ ban đầu tạo nên các hành tinh.

5. Protoplanetary Disk

Definition: A spinning disk of gas and dust around a young star where planets are formed.

Vietnamese: Đĩa tiền hành tinh – đĩa khí và bụi quay quanh một ngôi sao trẻ, nơi các hành tinh được hình thành.

6. Differentiation

Definition: The process in early Earth where heavy materials sank to the core and lighter materials rose to form the crust.

Vietnamese: Sự phân tầng – quá trình các vật liệu nặng chìm xuống lõi và vật liệu nhẹ nổi lên tạo lớp vỏ.

7. Core

Definition: The center of the Earth, made mostly of iron and nickel.

Vietnamese: Lõi Trái Đất – phần trung tâm của Trái Đất chủ yếu gồm sắt và niken.

8. Mantle

Definition: The thick layer between the core and the crust, made of hot, semi-solid rock.

Vietnamese: Manti / Lớp phủ – lớp đá nóng và gần như rắn nằm giữa lõi và vỏ Trái Đất.

9. Crust

Definition: The thin outer layer of solid rock on Earth's surface.

Vietnamese: Vỏ Trái Đất – lớp đá rắn mỏng bên ngoài bề mặt Trái Đất.

10. Outgassing

Definition: The release of gases (including water vapor) from hot rocks inside Earth.

Vietnamese: Sự thoát khí – quá trình các khí (bao gồm hơi nước) thoát ra từ đá nóng bên trong Trái Đất.

11. Heavy Bombardment

Definition: A period when early Earth was constantly hit by comets, asteroids, and space debris.

Vietnamese: Thời kỳ oanh tạc nặng nề – thời kỳ Trái Đất sơ khai liên tục bị va chạm bởi sao chổi và thiên thạch.

12. Condensation

Definition: The change of water vapor into liquid water, forming early oceans.

Vietnamese: Sự ngưng tụ – quá trình hơi nước chuyển thành nước lỏng, tạo thành các đại dương ban đầu.

13. Tectonic Plates

Definition: Large pieces of the Earth's crust that move slowly over the mantle.

Vietnamese: Các mảng kiến tạo – những mảng lớn của vỏ Trái Đất di chuyển từ từ trên lớp phủ.

14. Plate Tectonics

Definition: The theory explaining how Earth’s plates move and reshape the continents.

Vietnamese: Thuyết kiến tạo mảng – lý thuyết giải thích cách các mảng vỏ Trái Đất di chuyển và thay đổi lục địa.

15. Pangaea

Definition: A supercontinent that existed when all landmasses were joined together.

Vietnamese: Lục địa Pangaea – siêu lục địa khi tất cả các lục địa kết nối thành một khối.

16. Magma

Definition: Molten rock beneath Earth’s surface.

Vietnamese: Mác-ma – đá nóng chảy bên dưới bề mặt Trái Đất.

17. Atmosphere

Definition: The layer of gases surrounding Earth.

Vietnamese: Khí quyển – lớp khí bao quanh Trái Đất.

18. Oblate Spheroid

Definition: A shape that is slightly flattened at the poles and bulging at the equator (Earth’s shape).

Vietnamese: Hình cầu dẹt – dạng hình cầu bị dẹt ở hai cực và phình ra ở xích đạo.

19. Supernova

Definition: A massive explosion of a star, often triggering the formation of new solar systems.

Vietnamese: Sao siêu mới / vụ nổ siêu tân tinh – vụ nổ lớn của một ngôi sao, thường khởi đầu cho sự hình thành hệ sao mới.

20. Big Bang

Definition: The huge explosion that began the universe about 13.8 billion years ago.

Vietnamese: Vụ Nổ Lớn – vụ nổ khởi nguồn của vũ trụ cách đây khoảng 13,8 tỷ năm.