Earth

* Character
* Planet

**Earth** (designation **Sol III** and **Sol Prime**, nicknamed **Terra**, **Gaia**, and **Tellus**) is the third planet from Sol, and the only planet known to harbor any forms of life. Its name originates from a combination of many languages, translating to "soil" or "dirt." It is home to the human race, hosting a population of nearly 8 billion. It has only one moon, Luna.

## History

### Hadean Era

A few million years after Earth was born, it was intercepted by another protoplanet named Theia. The planets crossed paths multiple times, before eventually colliding. The impact sent trillions of tons of debris into orbit, eventually coalescing into a ring system. The rings gradually accreted into a smaller object that would later be known as Luna. Bombardments from asteroids and comets leftover from the birth of Sol would deliver water and organic compounds to Earth for hundreds of millions of years onward, as Earth cooled and developed a solid crust, and a liquid ocean.

### Archean Era

After the chaotic formation of the solar system ceased, life was able to emerge at the bottom of the primordial ocean. Single-celled organisms were the first to form, eventually evolving into organic clumps called stromatolites, which converted the carbon dioxide in the air and water from the oceans into glucose, releasing oxygen as a waste product. This process would eventually fill the planet's atmosphere with oxygen, giving it a blue hue. Meanwhile, Earth's crust had broken into several tectonic plates, which began to form the first continents, and later the first supercontinent, known as Vaalbara; which would later break apart into Ur and Kenorland.

### Proterozoic Era

With an atmosphere rich with oxygen, Earth's life began to evolve into multicellular organisms, including fungi and algae. The planet was very tectonically active; at least five supercontinents formed and broke apart during this era, with the breakup of Rodinia resulting in the "Snowball Earth" event.

#### "Snowball Earth"

Approximately 700 million years ago, most of Earth's surface was covered in a sheet of ice, during an event known as "Snowball Earth." The event resulted in one of many mass-extinctions, however it was followed by a large spike in evolution known as the Cambrian Explosion.

### Phanerozoic Era

During the Cambrian and Ordovician periods, life evolved excessively, eventually developing the ability to colonize the land. 250 million years ago saw the formation of the last supercontinent, Pangea, and the rise of one of the most successful species on Earth, the dinosaurs.

#### Ordovician Extinction

450 million years ago, a massive star approximately 6,000 light years away released a gamma-ray burst, showering the Earth in gamma radiation. The event destroyed most of the planet's ozone layer, subjecting the planet's surface to lethal levels of radiation from the sun and the GRB, resulting in a mass extinction that eliminated up to 80% of all aquatic species.

#### Chicxulub Impact

66 million years ago, an asteroid approximately 15 kilometers wide impacted the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. The impact resulted in a chain reaction, producing tsunamis and wildfires, and eventually a large cloud of ash and dust, drastically lowering global temperatures. This event is the cause of the fifth major mass extinction, eradicating 75% of all life on the planet, including the then-dominant species of the dinosaurs.

#### Rise of Man

After the extinction of the dinosaurs, mammals quickly evolved to adapt to a rapidly changing planet, eventually producing the currently dominant species on the planet; humans. With large brains, opposable thumbs, and high levels of sentience, they quickly developed advancements in technology, from harnessing fire to developing culture, primitive weapons to gunpowder, science to rockets. They have as of now only sent shy attempts at colonizing space, and have travelled no farther than Luna.

## Trivia

* Earth's symbol (⊕) represents a globe with an equator and a meridian. However, an alternate version of the symbol depicts a circle with a cross above, representing the four cardinal directions.