formation of the earth

a planet under construction

after its formation, the earth was still an extremely violent place.

its surface was covered by molten rock, received constant impacts and released enormous amounts of heat from its interior.

it was not yet a stable world, but it was beginning to transform.

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a layered interior

as the planet cooled, its materials began to separate.

the heavier elements, like iron and nickel, sank to the center.

the lighter ones remained in the upper layers.

thus began to form the great layers of the earth:

• core
• mantle
• crust

> internal structure of primitive earth

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an unstable surface

the primitive crust was thin, fragile and unstable.

large regions of the planet were dominated by volcanoes, cracks and currents of molten rock.

the earth was still releasing much of the heat accumulated during its formation.