When Was Earth Formed?

Earth formed from debris orbiting around our sun about 4 ½ billion years ago. That is also the approximate age of the sun, but it is not the beginning of our story. The story really begins with the Big Bang nearly 14 billion years ago, which spewed hydrogen atoms throughout the universe.

When did life first appear on Earth?

The earliest life forms we know of were microscopic organisms (microbes) that left signals of their presence in rocks about 3.7 billion years old.

How was Earth formed?

When the solar system settled into its current layout about 4.5 billion years ago, Earth formed when gravity pulled swirling gas and dust in to become the third planet from the Sun. Like its fellow terrestrial planets, Earth has a central core, a rocky mantle, and a solid crust.