Long, long ago — before trees, oceans, or even the Sun as we know it — there was only

a vast, dark emptiness. Imagine a cold cosmic night filled with swirling clouds of dust and

gas. No planets, no stars, no sound — just silence and mystery.

And yet, from this nothingness, our beautiful Earth was born. The story of Earth’s origin

Let’s take a journey through each — like turning the pages of the universe’s own

storybook.

including the Earth — formed from a giant rotating cloud of gas and dust, known as a

The leftover gas and dust began sticking together — small particles clumped to form

pebbles, pebbles became rocks, and rocks collided to form planetesimals (tiny planets).

slowly cooling down.

to form oceans. Gases like nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and oxygen formed the

But not everyone agreed with the Nebular idea. In the early 20th century, two scientists

in the middle of space. One day, another massive star passed very close to it. The pull of

pulls tides on Earth, but much stronger).

These tidal waves stretched out hot gases from the Sun into space. Long fingers of fire

were pulled away — some of these gaseous streams broke off and began to spin around

the Sun.

In this version, the Earth was once a part of the Sun’s outer layer — a burning fragment

that cooled down into a solid body.

Although this idea sounds exciting (almost like a cosmic tug-of-war!), later scientists

found problems with it. The main issue: it’s extremely rare for stars to pass that close

without completely destroying each other. Also, the matter pulled out would probably

disperse — not form solid planets.

shape and movement of the Solar System. But the Tidal theory is still admired as a bold

and creative explanation of planetary birth.

Now that the Earth was formed, another great mystery appeared:

Why are continents shaped like puzzle pieces that seem to fit together?

If you look closely at a world map, the eastern coast of South America fits perfectly with

Wegener believed that all continents were once joined together in a single massive

Wegener used evidence such as:

• Similar fossils found on different continents (e.g., Mesosaurus fossils in both

South America and Africa).

• Matching mountain ranges (like the Appalachians and Caledonian Mountains).

• Evidence of ancient glaciation across now-tropical regions.

5 cm per year — like slow-moving rafts on a molten sea. Wegener’s idea changed our

understanding of Earth forever.

If we link all these theories together, we get a grand timeline of creation:

cloud of gas and dust.

Each theory, in its own time, brought us a step closer to understanding the miracle of

our planet.

moved, and took the shape we see today.

So, the Earth’s story is a continuous dance — from dust to planet, from fire to water,

from one supercontinent to seven.

Our Earth’s origin is a tale of mystery, imagination, and science woven together. From a

swirling nebula to a glowing planet and finally to a blue-green world filled with life — the

journey took billions of years.

Each theory — Nebular, Tidal, or Continental Drift — contributed a piece of the grand

ancient cosmic beginning. Earth isn’t just a rock in space — it’s a living story, written

over 4.6 billion years, and still being written today.

outer core.

Scientists classify Earth’s structure in two ways:

• Mesosphere → Strong lower mantle.