The earth has nurtured mankind, and mankind is constantly exploring the earth. In the vast universe, there are trillions of planets. Until now, it has only been found that only the earth has humans. The earth is a living star: nuclides are its cells, magma is its blood, earthquakes are its pulse, volcanoes are its throat... It is full of vitality and runs day and night, building a "towering giant" from the core, mantle to the shell. It stands in the forest of planets, travels in the vast space, and supports hundreds of millions of strange creatures. It has many qualities that other planets do not have. It is sometimes peaceful and sometimes roaring, moving the entire world. In the big family of the universe, among the eight brothers in the solar system, the earth is the most vibrant and promising member, and the earth is the favored child of heaven!
The earth contains endless mysteries, ranging from astronomy to geography, from the universe to nuclides... making human exploration never extreme. Why are there only humans on earth? How was the earth formed? How were humans born? How is the age of the earth known? Why are there oceans, glaciers, mountains, depressions? Why do earthquakes, volcanoes, strong winds, and heavy rains occur? Almost all the materials, materials and energy needed for human survival are obtained from the earth. Will these materials be exhausted? What should I do if I run out? Faced with this series of problems, people are constantly exploring and solving them. From the past to the present, from the local to the whole, from the phenomenon to the essence, new things have been discovered one by one, and mysteries have been revealed one by one. As a result, there are the discovery of continental drift phenomena, the establishment of plate theory, the application of isotope theory, global remote sensing and The deployment and control of positioning systems, the construction of digital earth, the development of new materials and new energy sources, the research on global changes, the establishment of sustainable development concepts... all of these are the crystallization of human wisdom and precious assets of mankind.
The earth has an evolution history of approximately 4.6 billion years. From ancient times to the present, it has experienced the Archean, Proterozoic and Phanerozoic. Each era has its own specific geological background and specific ecological environment, which defines the different geological history of the earth. Throughout the development process of the earth, gradual changes always breed mutations, and mutations turn into gradual changes. Every change is accompanied by major changes in geology, biology, climate, environment and other things, and becomes an earth-shaking geological event. These major geological events occurred during a specific historical period. As far as the Cenozoic is concerned, the uplifting of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a major geological event with global significance. So, what forces and factors promote global geological events?
Matter is immortal and energy is conserved. This is the basic law of nature. The earth is a giant with an average radius of 6371 kilometers, a volume of 1.083×10^12 cubic kilometers, and a mass of 5.974×10^24 kilograms. The material composition of the earth is very diverse. If you analyze it carefully, all matter is composed of elements, and the entire earth is almost directed by 90 or 94 elements. Heat energy produced by the decay of radioisotopes is the main source of energy within the earth. The elements that make up the earth include more than 1700 radioactive isotopes. They decay with different half-lives, releasing heat energy, which is then transformed into mechanical energy and other energy, becoming the main driving force for earth's movement (including land-sea changes, uplift, subsidence, and proliferation of geological bodies...) and material transformation. As the decay progresses, the mass of its parent isotope continues to decrease and eventually becomes exhausted. The corresponding radioactive production capacity is weakened, the earth's internal energy is reduced, and the earth's vitality also declines accordingly.
Any living object in the world has its own life, age, illness and death. It has a beginning and an end, and the earth is no exception. However, compared to the universe that is more than 13 billion years old, the Earth, which is less than 4.6 billion years old, is still in its prime and young age and still has a long way to go. Human beings who are lucky enough to live on the earth cannot help but feel the magic and mystery of the earth, and the luck and pride of living on the earth. Human beings seek survival in the process of adapting to natural changes, become smart in the process of exploring the mysteries of nature, and progress and develop in the process of mastering the laws of nature. No matter what you learn or do, no matter whether you are a man, woman, or old, as long as you live on this planet, you consciously or not have to accept the baptism of natural changes and learn about various natural phenomena, from food, clothing, housing and transportation to eating, drinking and playing, from the nation-building strategy to international affairs, a series of problems facing mankind, such as resources, energy, climate, environment, and natural disasters, are all related to the earth and earth science. Earth science work takes heaven and earth as its own responsibility. Mountains and rivers serve as classrooms and seek well-being for mankind. It is an infinitely noble and extremely heroic undertaking.
The development of earth science integrates mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, meteorology, environment, humanities and other disciplines as well as modern technologies such as information, optics, and space. In turn, it has greatly promoted basic science, applied science and technology. The development has enriched and improved the connotation of national economy and people's livelihood and the scientific concept of development, has become a huge driving force for mankind to go to heaven and earth, climb to the top and go to the sea, and has an important theoretical support for realizing ecological civilization and a moderately prosperous society.
Everything has a way, and nature is the most harmonious. Nature is the knowledge base of science and the source of innovation. The essence of everything natural science does is to solve the mysteries of nature.
In the long history, the earth has changed in many ways: mountains have risen on the flat land, the sea has turned into mulberry fields, and the climate has been hot and cold... The whole nature is developing forward at its inherent frequency and pace. History is a mirror. Will history repeat itself? Nature and society often have many astonishing similarities and replays. Although some creatures, such as dinosaurs, became extinct and no longer reborn, natural disasters and climate change occur repeatedly. Sometimes they come quickly, sometimes they come slowly: when they are fast, they can catch people off guard and suffer disaster; when they are slow, they may make people relax their vigilance, making it difficult to recover. Currently, the earth is in a relatively strong active period. Not only do tectonic movements such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur frequently, but climate change is also in a period of high-frequency oscillation. It is not easy to estimate how long this period will last, but from the perspective of natural evolution. Historically, there is a trend of getting faster and faster in amplitude and shorter in cycle.
In front of nature, human beings appear small and helpless. The best way is to conduct continuous, extensive and in-depth scientific exploration, understand nature, and master the laws of natural changes. The deeper people understand nature, the stronger their ability to adapt to natural changes, and the more passive they can become active. Of course, this is a long process.