Detectives usually arrive at the scene of the crime after the crime has been committed.
Similarly earth scientists are rarely around to actually observe the object of their study. Like a detective who must recreate a crime on the basis of assumptions and available evidence, so too, must an earth scientist develop theories of the Earth. In this unit you will explore how scientists develop theories of the Earth's origin its age and its structure. Be able to describe the basic properties of the solar system. Be able to summarize the solar nebular hypothesis of the origin of the solar system and explain how it accounts for the properties of the solar system that we observe today.