THEMES

Time

• Measuring the Ages of Rocks

• Era Intros

• Era Recaps

• Miniseries: The Oldest Rocks on Each Continent

Space!

• The Origins of the Earth

• The Sun

• The Moon

• All Space-Themed Episodes

Earth’s Structure

• The Origins of the Earth

• The Interior: Mantle and Core

• Plate Tectonics

Earth’s Surface

• Water and Oceans

• “Dry Land”

• Atmosphere and Climate

Rock Types

• Igneous

• Sedimentary

• Metamorphic

Life and Fossils

• Origins of Life

• Disputed Fossils

Specific Locations (Ga = billion years ago)

• Jack Hills, W. Australia, 4.4 Ga (oldest surviving crystals)

• Acasta Gneiss, NW Territories, Canada, 4.0 Ga (oldest surviving rocks)

• Nuvvuagittuq, Quebec, Canada, 3.8? Ga (newly-described surface rocks)

• Itsaq Complex, Greenland, 3.9-3.6 Ga (most extensive + well-preserved Eoarchean rocks)

• Isua Greenstone Belt, Greenland, 3.8 - 3.6 Ga (part of Itsaq, excellent surface rocks)