Earth formation

A. Terms that should mean something to you
Related words are grouped together

Universe - Big Bang Galaxy - Milky Way Nebula - Star formation Star - Sun - Supernova      - Formation of elements Solar system Planet - Earth - Accretion Moon Impacts	Layering Composition      Crust - Mantle - Core Physical state      Lithosphere - Asthenosphere Oceanic crust - Basalt Continental crust - Andesite or Granite
Density Buoyancy Isostatic equilibrium Displacement Geothermal gradient Gravitational compression Impact Radioactive decay	P-wave shadow zone S-wave shadow zone Lithosphere - Rigid Asthenosphere - Partially-melted

B. Questions you should be able to answer
1.   What is the estimated age of the universe?
2.   What is the estimated age of the Sun and Earth?
3.   What is the age of the oldest basement rocks on land?
4.   What is age of the oldest basement rocks at sea?
5.   What is the current thinking about the origin of the moon?
6.   Was the earliest Earth homogenous in composition?
7.   Why is it hot inside of the Earth?
8.   Was the energy for heating of the Earth's interior supplied a long time ago,
      or supplied throughout its history?
9.   Is the Earth molten all the way through?
10. Overall, is the Earth heating or cooling today?
11. How are the shapes of the Moon and Earth different? -the same?
12. How do we know that the outer core is molten?

C. On the web - General references
Catalog of Spaceborne Imaging
Images of our solar system.
National Space Science Data Center, NASA

Astonomy Picture of the Day
Look through the archives at some great images.
NASA

This Dynamic Earth
Online edition of U.S.G.S book by Kious and Tilling. Static figures, but they're very nice.
W.J. Kious and R.I. Tilling, U.S. Geological Survey

D. On the web - Current topics
1. Geothermal Energy
2. "Super Earth" Found Circling Nearby Star

E. Notes and diagrams
1.    Shape of the seafloor
2.    Shape of Mars
2.    Age of the oceanic crust
3.    Major tectonic plates
4.    Differences between oceanic and continental crust
5.    Hypsographic curve - see Figure 4.6 on page 97 of your text.
6.    Relationship between physical state and chemical composition terms
7.    Seafloor spreading and subduction processes
8.    Earth's fastest spreading rate
9.    Movies of convection
10.  Fracture zones vs. transform faults
11.  Darwin's problem - seafloor sinking
12.  Modern plate motion and GPS
13.  Sediment thickness
14.  Satellite altimetry
15.  USGS multibeam mapping in Pacific
16.  Modeling geomagnetic reversals
17.  Plate reconstruction movies
               Plates project
               University of Texas Institute for Geophysics
               The Paleogeographic Atlas Project
               University of Chicago
               Paleomap Project
               Chris Scotese
               Animated Tectonic History (western North America)
               Tanya Atwater, UCSB
               Large movie, will take time to load
18.    Geologic Time Scale
19.    1999 Geologic Time