Belief that it took 1 sec. for basic forces to separate (gravity) which formed the universe;

After 30 min.: nuclear reaction, hydrogen helium nuclei, cooling takes place and stars are created

1. Cosmic expansion

2. Background radiation

3. Abundant light elements

• Change in frequency relative to the observer
• Object moving towards you = high pitched sound
• Object moving away from you = low pitched sound

-Hydrogen

-Helium

-Planets and the Sun formed from a rotating cloud of gas, called Solar Nebula Theory

-4.6 billion years ago

-Segregation between core, mantle and crust

-No rocks survived

-Very hot, heat release

-Volcanic out gassing

-4.5 billion years ago

-Mars sized object slammed into Earth

-14 billion years ago

-Big Bang Theory

-Evidence: the universe is expanding and it is permeated by background radiation

-Combination of meteorite impacts, gravitational compression, and heat from radioactive decay increased the temperature of Earth enough to melt iron and nickel

-This homogeneous composition disappeared and was replaced by a series of concentric layers of differing composition and density

Big Bang Theory 

vs. 

Solar Nebula Theory

-Big Bang: Universe started as a tiny, hot, dense thing that eventually expanded and cooled creating our universe 14 billion years ago

-Solar Nebula: solar system was created with a cloud of dust particles and gas

-Granite-gneiss: derived from plutons emplaced in volcanic island arcs

-Greenstone belts: ultramafic volcanic rock, highly metamorphic

-Water first got into the atmosphere from volcanic water vapor

-Then, the first oceans formed when the temperature of the earth's surface cooled below 100 degrees celcius and water moved from the atmosphere to the Ocean

Paleoproterzoic collisions between Archaean cratons formed larger cratons that served as nuclei, around which crust accreted

-One large lamdmass so formed called Laurentia, consisting mostly of North America and Greenland

-Formed from "de-gassing" from interior (volcanism)

-Made up of water vapor, H2, HCl, CO, CO2, N2

-Uranitite & Pyrite (only anoxic environments): no oxygen in atmosphere (this is evidence)

-Ocean waters saturated with un-oxidized iron: anoxic erosions of volcanoes, oceanic vents

-Stromatolite discovery: earliest fossil found 3.5 bya, cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) produces oxygen

The introduction of free oxygen into the atmosphere 1.8 billion years ago

pg. 185

-Red sandstone or shale colored by iron oxides (esp. Hematite)

-Coincides with the introduction of free oxygen into the Proterozoic atmosphere

-There is no oxygen in volcanic acids

-Oxygen can only be produced by photosynthesis

-Abiogenesis: anaerobic - need no oxygen

-Heterotrophic-dependent on external nutrients

-Prokaryote cells-no cell nucleus/internal structure

-NO KNOWN FOSSILS

-Carbon 12 and Carbon 13: layer of carbon in Greenland 3.8 billion years ago

-Life "prefers" C-12

-Product of organic activity

-Present day: form and grow as sediment and grains are trapped on sticky mats of photosynthesizing blue-green algae

pg. 168

Prokaryotic: lacking in nucleus and organelles such as mitochondria and plastids; the cells of bacteria and archaea; reproduce asexually

Eukaryotic: internal membrane-bounded nucleus containing chromosomes and other internal structures such as mitochondria; can not exist without oxygen; reproduce sexually

1. Extraterrestrial: interstellar gases contain simple and complex HC, Meteorites and comets contain organic compounds, amino acids, nucleic acids; not cellular life; NOT THE BEST CHOICE

2. Underwater Deep Ocean Vents: safe from meteors, most likely place of early life development, internal heat, archaea and bacteria abundant, amino acids found and can be formed

-Stromatolite, trapped in layers of sediments

-3.5 billion years ago

pg.165

-Starting products: CH4 (methane), NH3 (ammonia), H20, H2

-What forms? Cyanide,formaldehyde, 4 amino aids

-Later, 12 of the most common amino acids

Amino acids = building blocks of LIFE

-Source: volcanic water vapor in atmosphere moved from atmosphere to ocean when the land cooled below 100 degrees Celcius

-Salts in ocean came from weather of materials on land, then transported by rivers to ocean

-Prokaryote 

-All life is made of the same organic compounds, all life uses same 20 amino acids, all life uses the same genetic code

Symbiotic prokaryotes became increasingly interdependent until the unit could only exist as a whole

One symbiont engulfed another, which lead to endosymbiosis

Mesoproterozoic rocks 1.2 billion years old found in Canada contain fossils of the oldest known eukaryotes called Bangiomorpha

-Single celled

-Reproduced sexually

-Remarkably similar to living red algae

-Made by worms, found in rocks at least 700 million years old

-Theory for the origin of eukaryotic cell

-A prokaryotic cell capable of engulfing other prokaryotes, engulfed aerobic bacteria forming a eukaryotic cell

-Impressions of soft-bodied animals

-Collective name for fossil associations similar to those in the Ediacara Hills 

-Excellent fossils from this 545-600 million year old fauna have been found in Namibia, Africa and in Newfoundland, Canada

-Thus, Ediacarian animals were widespread

-B/C they lacked durable skeletons, their fossils are not very common

-Present-day: jelly fish and sea pens

-End of Snowball Earth resulted in much more diversified life

-Developed skeletons because of increased nutrients

-Warmer seas, oxygen in air and water, better nutrients in air and water

Characterized by warmer temperatures, sea level rise, and more shallow water environments

All of these increased diversity in species

-Increased geologic activity: more volcanic eruptions, warmer temperature, sea level rise, more shallow water environments

-Oxygen conc.: in the ocean reached some critical level, allowed biochemical reactions to produce skeletons, skeletons restrict respiration

-Increased food supply: increases ocean productivity, ocean upwelling, phosphate deposits, deeper worm burrows (new access to nutrients)

-Evolution of the genetic "toolkit" Hox genes

-Complex community development: Burgess Shale site 505 million years ago

All organisms are related and are derived from a common ancestor

New characteristics derive from adaptations to existing features, ex. fingers and toes

Determine form, number and structure

Found within all Metazoans

Master regulatory genes

Control structural genes

-First appearance of skeletonized taxa in the rock record

-Most of the fauana tiny (1-5 mm)

-Not clearly allied with modern groups

-Various tubes, spines, cones, and plates

Cambrian Explosion

-Beginning 545 million years ago

-Increased species diversity led to the appearance over a relatively short period of a huge number of complex, multi-celled organisms

Tonto Group: Cambrian period 500-520 mya; transgression, rising sea level

-Tapeats: shallow marine sands/beach

-Bright Angel Shale: deep offshore

-Mauv Limestone: deep water

-Redwall Limestone: deep water limestone

-Supai Group

-Hermit Shale: swamps, fossils

-Coconino SS: desert climate, huge desert reptile fossil tracks

-Kaibab Limestone: reef limestone, corals, fish, etc., shallow seas

Ordovician (438-505 mya)

Volcanic island arcs collided with Laurentia (N. America)

Subduction zone, oceanic-continent collision

-Occurred when a mountain range formed due to collisions of small continents

-Responsible for the completion of supercontinent Rodinia

-1 billion years ago during Precambrian

-Ordovician (438-505 mya)

-Volcanic island arcs collided with Laurentia

-Subduction zone large volcanic island arcs near eastern N. America

-Ophiolites: evidence of subduction of ocean basin

-Devonian: 360-408 mya

-Baltica continent and Avalonia collided with Laurentia

-Evidence: similar rocks in different continents, Siccar Point

-Top layer of material on a tectonic plate that accumulates and deforms where oceanic and continental plates collide

-These sediments are top of the down-going oceanic crustal plate and are appended to he edge of the continental plate

-One of 6 major Paleozoic continents

-Composed of Russia, Scandinavia, Poland and northern Germany

Stable nucleus of a continent consisting of a Precambrian shield and a platform of buried ancient rocks

Core of a continent

Where Cenozoic orogenic activity took place, largely in two areas

In the belts there are smaller segments called orogens

AKA Mountain Belts

Widespread association of sedimentary rocks bounded above and below by unconformities that were deposited during a Neoproterozoic to Early Ordovicia or mid Cambrian

During a transgressive phase of the Sauk Sea

Sequence of rock on land consisting of deep-sea sediments, oceanic crust, and upper mantle

Used to recognize ancient convergent plate boundaries

Percentage of solar energy reflected back by a surface

Light surface = high albedo

Dark surface = low albedo

Type of conglomerate that originated from other processes

One of the glacial features

Divergent plate boundary

Not an active plate

Absorbs the infrared radiation and traps its heat in the atmosphere

Keep the earth warmer that it would be

Exposed part of N. America's craton

Area of subdued topography, numerous lakes, exposed Archaen and Proterozoic rocks thinly covered in places by glacial deposits

Life in extreme environments and smaller than bacteria

Best candidate for earliest life

Live in deep sea vents, hot springs, anoxic conditions, acid sulfur springs and ice