Story of the Earth

Planet Earth is one of eight planets orbiting the Sun, one of billions of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, itself one of billions of galaxies in the Universe. The Universe came into...

Geological time

The Earth is 4.6 billion years old. This extremely long stretch of time is difficult to imagine, so events in the Earth’s history are therefore measured in geological time, spans...

Continental drift

The vast landmasses we call the continents have not always been where they are today. Earth’s outer shell is divided up into large slabs, called tectonic plates. These plates...

Fossils

Fossils are remains of once-living things preserved in rock. Most living things are eaten or die and their soft parts rot away leaving no trace. But sometimes hard body parts...

Fossils A-Z