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Name____________________________ Per._____ Date______________ A Brief History of the Earth Directions: Find the best source(s) you can to answer each question in a complete sentence in a Word file. Paraphrase to avoid loss of credit due to plagiarism. This means you may not copy and paste in someone else’s words or you will get a zero on the assignment. At the bottom of the page make a numbered Citations subsection. Paste in the urls of the websites you use. Do not move on to the next question without citing because that is also a form of plagiarism if you used the page to paraphrase. Wikipedia (nor any wiki) may be used. 1. What is the “Big Bang” theory. What elements were most abundant in the universe shortly after the Big Bang? 2. In the late 1920s, American astronomer Edwin Hubble made an important discovery that supports the Big Bang theory. What was this discovery? 3. According to current theory, after the Big Bang matter collected into clouds. How did stars form in some of these clouds? 4. What are “planetesimals,” and how are they relevant to the origin of the Earth? 5. According to current theory, about how long ago was the Earth formed? Approximately, how old are the oldest known rocks on Earth? Where are the oldest rocks found and in what type of rock formation? 6. As the Earth was being formed, materials in the developing planet were kept in a molten state by intense heat. What was the source of this heat? 7. Unlike the Earth, the moon has only a tiny metallic core. What theory for the moon’s formation provides an explanation for this observation? What is the approximate age of the moon? 8. Why haven’t scientists been able to measure the age of the Earth by measuring the age of the Earth’s oldest rocks? Where are Earth’s oldest rocks found? 9. Describe the Earth’s internal structure. Include the following terms: inner core, outer core, mantle, asthenosphere and lithosphere. 10. What is the theory of plate tectonics? 11. What are divergent boundaries, convergent boundaries, and transform boundaries? 12. What are Laurasia and Gondwanaland? 13. Who was Alfred Wegener, and what theory did he propose? Why did scientists reject Wegener’s theory? 14. What are five observations or lines of evidence that support Wegener’s theory? Which of these was key to gaining widespread acceptance for the theory? 15. Plate tectonics provides the basis for predicting what geologic events that are of direct importance to human safety?