Open AccessThe early history of the earth
Author(s) -
C. P. Snyman
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
suid-afrikaanse tydskrif vir natuurwetenskap en tegnologie/die suid-afrikaanse tydskrif vir natuurwetenskap en tegnologie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2222-4173
pISSN - 0254-3486
DOI - 10.4102/satnt.v7i1.898
Subject(s) - planet , protoplanet , astrobiology , crust , mantle (geology) , planetesimal , cosmic cancer database , terrestrial planet , earth (classical element) , earth science , solar system , geology , geophysics , physics , astronomy , protoplanetary disk
In view of the principle of actualism the early history of the earth must be explained on the basis of present-day natural phenomena and the basic Laws of Nature. The study of the solar system leads to the conclusion that the planets were formed as by-products when the sun developed from a rotating cloud of cosmic gas and dust. The protoplanets or planetesimals could have accreted as a result of mutual collisions, during which they could have become partly molten so that they could differentiate into a crust, a mantle and a core on the basis of differences in density