Aula 1 Origem Do Universo

Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul
Faculdade de Engeharia
GEOLOGIA APLICADA
Profa. Dra. Caroline Thaís Martinho

Geologia é uma Ciência
como Química e Física
Contudo…
Escala espacial e temporal
Desafios especiais  impossível de
fazer experimentos em laboratorios
típicos.
Princípios Científicos
O universo é sensível e
governado por leis imutáveis.
Objetivo da ciência:
explicar como
funciona o universo
Método
Científico
Sempre se perguntar: “Como vou
saber se estou errado?”
Hipótese Teoria Lei
• Hipótese: explicação inicial oferecida

por uma série de observações.
• Quando uma hipótese suporta vários
testes, pode se chamada de teoria.
• Uma teoria que parece não conseguir
ser contestada é chamada de lei.
Princípio do Uniformitarismo
“O presente é a chave para

o passado”
— James Hutton
As leis naturais não mudam mas

os produtos e a intensidade dos
processos podem variar.
Some Geologic Events are Slow
The Grand Canyon
It took more than
250 million years to
deposit this sequence
of rocks.
The rocks at the

bottom of the canyon
are about 2 billion
years old.
Fig. 1.2
Some Geologic Events are Rapid
Meteor Crater
This feature (~2
km across) formed
in less than one
minute about
50,000 years ago
Some Geologic Investigations
are Microscopic
1 mm
Features less than 0.1 mm can give important

information about the history of many rocks.
Begin at the beginning:
the birth of the solar system
• The evolutionary course was
significantly influenced by the initial
state solar system.
• We know the state of the Earth today
relatively well. So knowing the
beginning will help us understand
the time frame in-between the “birth”
of the planet Earth and the present.
Origin of Solar System
• The universe began about 14
billion years ago - Big Bang Theory
• Since then, the universe has

expanded to form the galaxies,
stars, and planets
The Nebular hypothesis
• A large gas cloud (nebula) begins to
condense
• Most of the mass is in the center,

there is turbulence in the outer parts
• Turbulent eddies collect matter

measuring meters across. Small
chunks grow and collide, eventually
becoming large aggregates of gas
and solid chunks.
Fig. 1.3
The Sun
• After sufficient mass and density

was achieved in the Sun, the
6
temperature rose to 1x10 °C;
resulting in thermonuclear fusion.
• H + H = He + energy
Protoplanets
• Much bigger than present planets,

which eventually contracted from
their own gravitational forces
• Gases blew away from inner planets.

Since the outer planets are too far
away from sun, they retained a large
gaseous exterior.
Fig. 1.3
Fig. 1.3
Size of the Planets
Fig. 1.4
Other Solar Systems?
• Evidence for dozens of “exoplanets”

now exists
• There are far-away planets too dim to
be observed directly with telescopes,
but they are big enough to effect the
motion of the stars they orbit
The Early Earth Heats Up
Four Factors Lead to Heating and Melting
Early in Earth’s History
1. Accretion of meter-sized bodies
2. Collisions Transfer of kinetic energy into
heat
3. Compression
4. Radioactivity of elements (e.g. uranium,
potassium, or thorium)
The Core
• About 200–100 million years after initial
accretion, temperatures at depths of 400–
800 km below the earths surface reach the
melting point of iron
• Iron melts-pulled to the center “core” ( The
core 1/6 of Earth’s volume, 1/3 of its mass)
• Gravitational energy → heat
Formation of the Moon
(about 4.5 billion years ago)
Global Chemical Differentiation
(begins about 4.3 billion years ago)
Fig. 1.6
Chemical Composition of
Earth
Whole Earth: Crust:
Fe+O+Si+Mg = 93% Si+O+Al = 82%
Fig. 1.7
Whole Earth
Fig. 1.7
Earth’s Crust
Fig. 1.7
Chemical Differentiation
Continents: Cooked and solidified

magma that floated up from the Mantle.
Oceans and Atmosphere: Fluid outer

layer derived from volatile transfer of
gases from the interior (and perhaps
from comets)
Volatile transfer
Fig. 1.8
Diversity of the Planets
Mercury: small rocky planet with almost
no atmosphere
Venus: about the same size as Earth
with dense, very hot atmosphere
Mars: currently inactive but shows
evidence a former action of water
Jovian planets: huge gaseous balls
Pluto: Mixture of rock and ice (very far
away and hard to study)
Size and Relief of
Venus, Earth, Mars
Fig. 1.9
Bombardment From Space
• Collisions with medium-to-large

asteroids were common in the early
history of the solar system
• Some significant impacts have
occurred throughout Earth’s history
including one 65 million years ago
which caused a mass extinction of
life on Earth, including the
dinosaurs
Earth is an Open System
Energy is input from the Sun; energy is lost from the

interior. The magnitude of these fluxes is not equal.
Fig. 1.10
Major Components of the
Earth System
Fig. 1.10
Solar-energy Driven Earth Systems
Atmosphere: gaseous envelope extending

from the surface to about 1000 km
Hydrosphere: water in all rivers, lakes,

oceans, and groundwater
Biosphere: organic matter related to life

near the Earth’s surface
Driven From Heat Inside the Earth
Lithosphere: strong, rocky outer shell of the solid
Earth including all the crust and the upper part of the
mantle to a depth of ~100 km (forms the plates)
Asthenosphere: weak,ductile layer of the mantle
beneath the lithosphere; deforms to accommodate
the motions of the overlying plates
Deep Mantle: mantle beneath the asthenosphere
(~400 to 2900 km in depth)
Outer core: liquid shell composed of mostly iron
Inner core: innermost sphere composed primarily
of solid iron
Earth Systems
Integrated transfer of mass and

energy both within and between
systems including:
•Climate System
•Plate Tectonic System
• Geodynamo System
Convection
On the stove In the mantle
Fig. 1.11
Time
•The big difference between geology
and other sciences: TIME (geologically
speaking, not much happens in a
human lifetime)
•Rates of geologic processes: µm/year
to cm/year
•Big earthquakes maybe displace the
ground several meters in a few
seconds, but only about every 500 yrs
Time
The rates of geologic processes

are almost always slower than the
rates of human effects on the
environment.
Geologic Time
Fig. 1.12
Evolution of Life on Earth
• Atmosphere and hydrosphere
formed 4 billion years ago.
• Fossils are recognized in rocks as
old as 3. 5 billion years.
• Oxygen (from photosynthesis) was
an important component of the
atmosphere at least 2.5 million
years ago.
Extinct Organisms
from the Fossil Record
Fig. 1.13

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Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul

Profa. Dra. Caroline Thaís Martinho

como Química e Física

• Hipótese: explicação inicial oferecida

“O presente é a chave para

As leis naturais não mudam mas

The rocks at the

Features less than 0.1 mm can give important

• Since then, the universe has

• Most of the mass is in the center,

• Turbulent eddies collect matter

• After sufficient mass and density

• Much bigger than present planets,

• Gases blew away from inner planets.

• Evidence for dozens of “exoplanets”

Continents: Cooked and solidified

Oceans and Atmosphere: Fluid outer

• Collisions with medium-to-large

Energy is input from the Sun; energy is lost from the

Atmosphere: gaseous envelope extending

Hydrosphere: water in all rivers, lakes,

Biosphere: organic matter related to life

Integrated transfer of mass and

The rates of geologic processes

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