Evolution of the Earth and Origin of life

The appearance of the simplest primordial life from non-living substances is referred to as the origin of life. The progressive creation of sophisticated species from simpler ones is referred to as evolution of life. Life evolved on Earth at least 3.5 to 4 billion years ago, and it has continued to evolve ever since. All living creatures on Earth were once basic, single-celled organisms. The first multicellular species emerged much later, and the Earth’s biodiversity grew dramatically as a result.

In Geography class 11: Evolution of the earth and origin of life notes, we will discuss the evolution of the lithosphere, the evolution of the earth, the evolution of the atmosphere, the evolution of the hydrosphere, and the origin of life.

Evolution of the Earth 

• Initially, the earth was a barren rocky planet with an atmosphere made from Helium and Hydrogen
• Over millions of years, the several layers that make the earth went through an evolution

Evolution of the Lithosphere

• Lithosphere refers to the outermost layer of earth
• During the planet’s yesteryears, the earth was incredibly volatile
• As the density of the earth increased, the temperature inside the earth’s core also increased. This resulted in the separation of material inside the earth. The separation happened due to differences in densities
• The heavier materials started to sink towards the earth’s center, whereas the lighter ones moved towards the surface
• And this process is known as Differentiation, that is, the separation of lighter and denser materials
• Then as the lighter material cooled, it condensed and solidified to form the outer layer of the earth. This cooled and contracted outer layer is called the crust of the earth
• The earth was heated up during the moon’s formation. This caused differentiation, which resulted in the development of different strata inside the earth
• Layers of the earth are: Crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core

Evolution of Atmosphere and Evolution of Hydrosphere

• The evolution of the atmosphere took place in three stages
• All planets in the solar system have an atmosphere. An atmosphere is the mixture of gases that surrounds a planet. The earth’s atmosphere is composed of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide
• During the earth’s primordial stage, the atmosphere was composed of hydrogen and helium. It is said that the composition of the earth’s atmosphere changed due to solar winds
• As the temperature inside the earth’s core increased and then cooled, the gases and water vapour released from the earth’s interior resulted in the evolution of the atmosphere
• This process is also termed as degassing. Degassing, in literal terms,  refers to the procedure by which the gases were expelled from the inside of the earth. Hydrogen and helium were two of the gases that have been emitted from the earth’s interior as a result of degassing
• This kickstarted the second stage of the evolution of the atmosphere
• Once the earth’s cooling began, the atmosphere largely contained nitrogen, methane, water vapour, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and some oxygen
• Degassing refers to the phenomenon where gas is released from within the planet. Degassing can occur during a volcanic eruption
• During the second stage of evolution, continuous volcanic eruptions increased gases and water vapour levels in the atmosphere. Plus, CO2 in the atmosphere dissolved itself with the rainwater, which led to the temperatures decreasing even further. This also caused more rain
• The hydrosphere refers to the water present on the surface of a planet. The hydrosphere evolved as the rainwater falling on the surface was collected in the depressions on the earth
• The final stage in the evolution of the atmosphere is the modification of the atmosphere’s composition through photosynthesis
• As the process of photosynthesis evolved, the oceans started to become saturated with oxygen

Origin of Life 

• The final phase in the evolution of earth was the origin of life
• Origin of life was triggered by a chemical reaction that generated complex organic molecules which could duplicate themselves
• These organic molecules could duplicate themselves by converting inorganic matter into a living thing
• It is said that life began on earth at least 3.5 to 4 billion years ago
• Scientists can study the origin and evolution of life on earth with the help of fossils
• When we talk about the origins of life, we should also note that life gradually evolved from single-celled organisms to complex life forms
• While the earliest known single-celled creatures appeared on Earth around 3.5 billion years ago, nearly a billion years after the Earth began
• More sophisticated forms of life evolved more slowly, with the first multicellular creatures emerging some 600 million years ago
• Lastly, the emergence of multicellular life from simpler, unicellular microorganisms was a pivotal point in Earth’s biological history, radically altering the planet’s environment

Conclusion

In the end, we have looked into the evolution of the earth and highlighted the origin of the  different layers of the earth. We also looked into the origin of life highling on the origin and evolution from a single celled organism to several complex life forms. Finally, when we talk about the origin of life it is significant to mention the Big Bang Theory. The Big Bang Theory is the most widely accepted explanation for the formation of the planet Earth and the presence of various life forms on it. According to this idea, the cosmos formed as a consequence of a tremendous explosion 20 billion years ago.