Experience Earth's 4.5 Billion Year History in One Hour
TLDR; Experience Earth's 4.5 billion year history in an hour, from a lava hell to the age of mammals, witnessing key events and the evolution of life.
🌍 Earth's Age
Earth's 4.5 billion year history is condensed into an hour-long musical train ride, providing a unique perspective on the planet's evolution.
The experiment offers a captivating experience of Earth's history, allowing viewers to grasp the immense timescales involved.
It's an opportunity to observe the passing eons, understand the concept of a billion years, and enjoy the ride as a study background or for pure entertainment.
🌋 Hadean Eon
4.5 billion years ago, Earth was a hell of lava during the Hadean eon, with a mostly CO2 atmosphere and a lava-covered surface.
The collision with a Mars-sized object called Theia led to the formation of the moon, which has been gradually shrinking over millions of years.
The Hadean eon, named after the Greek god of the underworld, is characterized by extreme conditions and the formation of Earth's early features.
🌌 Eoarchean & Paleoarchean
During the Eoarchean period, the heavy asteroid bombardment affected Earth and the inner solar system for several hundred million years.
In the Paleoarchean, the young Earth was mostly underwater, with the first supercontinents forming in the depths below and shorter days due to faster spinning.
The discovery of stromatolites, sedimentary rocks built by microorganisms, provides evidence of early life during this period.
🌊 Mesoarchean & Neoarchean
The Mesoarchean era marks the beginning of continents, tectonic plate movements, and extremely hot oceans, with the absence of atmospheric oxygen.
During the Neoarchean, proper plate tectonics and the presence of more chemicals from inside the Earth allowed life to use them for new developments.
The Great Oxidation Event in the Siderian period paved the way for more complex life, leading to the freezing of the planet and the onset of ice ages.
🌍 Rhyacian & Orosirian
The Rhyacian period was characterized by volcanic activity, earth unfreezing, and the resistance and evolution of life despite the toxic elements in the oceans.
In the Orosirian, a large asteroid impact created the largest verified impact structure on Earth, while mountain ranges formed across the planet.
This period marked the emergence of the first Eukaryotic cells with a nucleus, a significant milestone in the history of life on Earth.
🌎 Cryogenian & Ediacaran
The Cryogenian period saw Earth freezing over again, posing a survival challenge for life forms, while the Ediacaran period witnessed the formation of the supercontinent Gondwana and the sudden emergence of multicellular organisms.
Life diversified rapidly, with the Cambrian explosion introducing a wide variety of life forms, followed by a mass extinction that reshaped the oceanic ecosystem.
🦕 Paleogene & Quaternary
The Paleogene ushered in the mass extinction of dinosaurs, leading to the dominance of mammals and the familiar continents of today.
The Quaternary, representing human history, is briefly highlighted, emphasizing the relatively recent emergence of human civilization compared to Earth's ancient history.