The history of the Earth concerns the development of the planet Earth from its formation to the

present day.[1][2] Nearly all branches of natural science have contributed to the understanding of the
main events of the Earth's past. The age of Earthis approximately one-third of the age of the
universe. An immense amount of biological and geological change has occurred in that time span.
Earth formed around 4.54 billion (4.54109) years ago by accretion from the solar nebula.
Volcanic outgassing probably created the primordial atmosphere, but it contained almost no oxygen
and would have been toxic to humans and most modern life. Much of the Earth was molten because
of extreme volcanism and frequent collisions with other bodies. One very large collision is thought to
have been responsible for tilting the Earth at an angle and forming the Moon. Over time, the planet
cooled and formed a solid crust, allowing liquid water to exist on the surface.
The first life forms appeared between 3.8 and 3.5 billion years ago. The earliest evidences for life on
Earth are graphitefound to be biogenic in 3.7 billion-year-old metasedimentary rocks discovered
in Western Greenland[3] and microbial matfossils found in 3.48 billion-year-old sandstone discovered
in Western Australia.[4][5] Photosynthetic life appeared around 2 billion years ago, enriching the
atmosphere with oxygen. Life remained mostly small and microscopic until about 580 million years
ago, when complex multicellular life arose. During the Cambrian period it experienced a rapid
diversification into most major phyla.
Geological change has been constantly occurring on our planet since the time of its formation and
biological change since the first appearance of life. Species continuously evolve, taking on new
forms, splitting into daughter species, or going extinct in response to an ever-changing planet. The
process of plate tectonics has played a major role in the shaping of Earth's oceans and continents,
as well as the life they harbor. The biosphere, in turn, has had a significant effect on the atmosphere
and other abiotic conditions on the planet, such as the formation of the ozone layer, the proliferation
of oxygen, and the creation of soil.

The history of the Earth describes the most important events and fundamental stages in the
development of the planet Earth from its formation to the present day.
The age of the Earth is about 4.56 billion years.[1] Nearly all branches of science have helped us
understand the main events of the Earth's past. The Earth is about one third the age of the universe.
The formation of Earth occurred as part of the formation of the Solar System. It started as a large
rotating cloud of dust and gas. This cloud, the solar nebula, was composed
of hydrogen and helium produced in the Big Bang, as well as heavier elementsproduced
in supernovas. Then, about 4.68109 years ago, the solar nebula began to contract, rotate and
gain angular momentum. This may have been triggered by a star in the region exploding as a
supernova, and sending a shock wave through the solar nebula.
As the cloud rotated, it became a flat disc perpendicular to its axis of rotation. Most of
the mass concentrated in the middle and began to heat up. Meanwhile, the rest of the disc began to
break up into rings, with gravity causing matter to condense around dust particles.
Small fragments collided to become larger fragments, including one collection about 150
millionkilometers from the center: this would become the Earth. As the Sun condensed and
heated, nuclear fusion started, and thesolar wind cleared out most of the material in the disc, which
had not yet condensed, into larger bodies.