Formation and Evolution of a Habitable Planet

Catalog description

This course will provide an introduction to the formation and evolution of Earth with an emphasis on how our habitable planet has originated, developed, and sustained conditions suitable for life from a planetary science perspective. Topics include the Big Bang and formation of elements, formation of minerals and organic molecules, formation of the Solar System and planets, formation and differentiation of Earth's interior, plate tectonics and internal circulation, interactions between interior, atmosphere, and oceans, climate regulation, co-evolution of life and planet, and habitability of other planets in the Solar System and in the universe.