Essay Sample on Living on a Dynamic Earth

Introduction

Earth has always been the most accessible habitable planet for undergoing study. Hence, studying its origins, earliest evolution of life, and long-term evolutions of its environments helps scientists understand why the planet became habitable. It also helps geologists understand figure out why terrestrial life has managed to persist for billions of years. This essay examines ten research questions found in a text titled Origin and Evolution of Earth: Research Questions for a Changing Planet. It will discuss the relative importance of these questions to the development of humanity and human history. The essay will then select one of the questions and provide a more detailed overview of the research that has taken place since the text was published in 2008.

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How Did Earth and the Other Planets Form?

There is general consensus that the sun and the nine planets all merged out of the same nebula cloud. However, how Earth ended up with its current chemical composition is still not known. Scientist may have an idea but it's not detailed enough to understand the planet's subsequent evolution, or why the other planets are so different from each other. For instance, earth contains many substances like water that sustain life, although it is quite different from all the other planets in this regard. At the moment, further measurements of other bodies in the solar system seems to be the only way to learn more about the origin of earth and other planets.

What Happened During Earth’s First 500 Million Years?

The current belief is that, during the later stages of Earth's formation, it collided with another planet the size of mars. The collision displaced a large cloud of debris that settled to become the moon. It also generated an excessive amount of heat that caused the entire planet to melt. Not much is known about how the molten magma ended up as the current earth's lithosphere, mantle, and core, or how the planet developed its oceans and atmosphere. An important link in understanding the planet's revolution is the Hadean Eon , although little is known about it since there is virtually no rock from this period that are still preserved on earth. All in all, scientists are gradually accumulating clues about this time period as they learn more about other planets and meteorites. Also, new information is being extracted from ancient zircon crystals found on earth.

How Did Life Begin?

The origins of life happen to be among the most enduring, difficult, and intriguing mysteries in science. Since life in the solar system came up billions of years ago, the most fundamental queries about its origins are related to geology. The current knowledge of which materials life originated from, as well when, where, and in what form it initially appeared, is gotten from geological studies of minerals and rocks. The first time life arose, it is likely that the conditions on the surface of the earth were much different than they are today. A major challenge facing scientists is coming up with an accurate picture of the chemical building blocks and the physical environment that early life was subjected to. The quest to figure out the origin of life is basically multidisciplinary, including molecular biology, organic chemistry, planetary science, astronomy, geochemistry, and geology. Scientists are interested in studying Mars where it is believed there exists a sedimentary record of the earliest planetary history. The sediments found in Mars predate the oldest rocks found on earth and other planets.

How Does the Earth’s Interior Work, and How Does It Affect the Surface?

Planets undergo gradual cooling as they age. This process makes them go through various stages in such a way that their internal and surface processes as well as their atmospheres are always undergoing gradual change. The main way through which heat moves from the earth's interior to the surface is a planet wide liquid and solid-state convection. What is currently known is that the earth's core and mantle are always in convective motion. However, scientists currently are not able to accurately describe these motions or figure out how different they were in the past. The planets magnetic fields are as a result of core convection, a process that is likely to influence surface conditions. Mantle convection leads to seafloor generation, mountain building, and volcanism, with materials such as carbon and water being constantly exchanged between the surface of the earth and its deep interior. Thus, without good knowledge of its internal processes, it is difficult to deduce what its surface environment looked like or predict its future appearance.

Why Does Earth Have Plate Tectonics and Continents?

The questions that scientists currently have about plate tectonics are not that related to the actual theory. Rather, they are less to do with how Earth got plate tectonics in the first place and how it closely relates to other unique aspects of the planet , such as the existence of life, the existence of oceans and continents, and the abundance of water. It is not known whether one aspect can be achieved without the other, or how the two are interdependent. Also, the fact that the continental crust exists in a persistent manner presents problems that are as significant as those of plate tectonics. The planet is habitable to non-marine life thanks to the continental crust, with the weathering of the crust's surface serving to regulate earth's climate. However, scientists still don't know the exact date when continents were first formed, how they managed to be preserved for billions of years, or the exact process they used to evolve to their current status. New observations and data imply that erosion and data play a crucial role in the formation of mountain ranges. Thus, they are essential to the formation of the continental crust as well as its destruction.

How Are Earth’s Processes Controlled by Material Properties?

In order to decipher the secrets of the Earth's rock record as well as that of other planets, one has to understand the various large-scale geological processes. The key to figuring out these processes lies in the basic chemistry and physics of planetary materials. Earth's huge size together with its structures, the high pressures and temperatures of its interior, the wide range of properties and materials, as well as the lengthy expanse of geological time all bring about special challenges. New research tools are being used to meet these challenges, based on factors such as synchrotron radiation, quantum calculations of material properties subjected to extreme conditions, and new simulation and measurement capabilities for heterogeneous materials and large domains. Researchers are now venturing into new research areas involving the study of natural nanoparticles and how microorganisms mediate chemical processes.

What Causes Climate Change And How Much Can It Change?

Global climatic conditions have remained stable and favorable for the last 10, 000 years or so. However, geological evidence shows that significant changes in climate can take place within relatively short periods such as decades or centuries. There may be numerous factors that can cause climate change such as the sun's gradually changing luminosity, alterations in atmospheric conditions, and formation of new mountain ranges. All in all, earth's surface temperature appears to have remained relatively stable for most of the last four million years or so. Scientists are still trying to figure out how it manages to remain that well-regulated in the long-run despite the potential to change so abruptly. Recent findings have brought to light periods in the history of earth when the climate was extremely hot or cold, or underwent rapid changes. Figuring out such special conditions may offer new insights into Earth's climate. Also, new geochemical findings on ancient sedimentary rocks together with better climate system conditions will eventually enable scientists predict the extent and effects of climatic changes.

How Has Life Shaped Earth-and How as Earth Shaped Life?

Earth scientists tend to view the geological evolution of Earth as a mainly inorganic process. On the other hand, life scientists see the evolution of living things as a mainly biological process. All in all, conditions of Earth's surface have clearly influenced the development of life, while activities of living things have influenced this surface. For instance, there would be no oxygen in the atmosphere were it not for living things, while the abundance of oxygen allows life to evolve. Past meteoroid impacts and other geological events have caused mass extinctions and influenced the processes of evolution. However, scientists still don't know the exact relationship between evolution and geology. Scientists nowadays seem interested in the role played by living things in geological processes such as erosion and weathering. They also strive to figure out how life may have presented itself and left footprints preserved in other planets' geological records.

Can Earthquakes, Volcanic Eruptions, and Their Consequence Be Predicted?

Geologists are on course to attaining predictive capabilities for volcano eruptions thanks to a better understanding of their causes and sensitive new tools. While some progress has been made in long-term forecasting of earthquakes, scientists may never be able to predict exactly where and when an earthquake will occur. Scientists are now faced with the challenges of gaining a better understanding of how fault rupture occur, improving their simulations of the amount of shaking expected near major earthquakes, and increasing the warning time as soon as a disastrous earthquake erupts. Research on volcanic activities has gotten into a new era due to real-time geodetic, seismic, and electromagnetic analysis of eruptive sub-surface processes. All in all, integrating such real-time data into the findings of field and laboratory studies of volcanic materials still remains a challenge. The main aim of scientists is to come up with a clear picture of how magma moves from its sources in the temporary storage found on the upper earth crust mantle up the surface where it eventually erupts.

How Do Fluid Flown and Transport Affect the Human Environment?

For natural resources and the environment to be managed excellently, there has to be knowledge of fluid behavior both on the surface and below the ground. The main objectives for scientists are to understand fluid flow, how fluids transport heat and materials, and their interactions with their immediate surroundings. New field measurement strategies, experimental tools, as well as spaceborne and airborne measurements present an unparalleled view of processes that affect both the underground and the surface. All in all, scientists are still having a hard time determining how fast sub-surface fluids flow, how they are distributed in heterogeneous soil and rock formations, their effectiveness in transporting suspended and dissolved materials, and how thermal and chemical exchanges with host formations affect them. Scientists are trying to accurately assess how climatic changes and human activities affect landscape. They strive to figure out how to manage these effects in a way that sustains crucial watershed traits and economic systems. However, for this to happen, there must be better models for measuring steam flow together with associated transport and erosion. The ultimate objective for scientists is to create mathematical models capable of predicting future performance of natural systems. The problem is that such models are still out of reach although they are critical to futur...