A Study in Earth’s Geological Evolution. The Baltic Shield / Исследование геологической эволюции Земли. Балтийский щит

Understanding the basics of Earth’s emergence and evolution at every stage is a fundamental, almost philosophic problem comparable with the issues of the universe. On the other hand, it reflects an applied nature in substantiation of manifestation patterns of endogenous and exogenous processes affecting even the socioeconomic evolution of human society. The book begins with a brief description of Earth’s planetary evolution physical theory built based on an analysis of its energy balance. The theory is based on two source concepts. First, it is accepted that the Earth, according to O.Yu. Schmidt’s hypothesis, had emerged after homogenous accretion of a cold gas-dust proto-planetary cloud. Second, the Earth’s core is composed of an iron with its oxide alloy (on condition that the composition of the mantle and of the Earth’s crust is known). Both assumptions are currently most substantiated and accepted by most geophysicists. It turned out that these two assumptions are sufficient for constructing a self-consistent theory as they include all necessary information about the original Earth’s structure and its internal energy. Comparing based on experimental data equation of state for this matter and applying the laws of physics, it is possible to construct the theory itself. At that, the use of geological data is expedient as edge (boundary) conditions for the problem to be resolved. The young Earth’s evolution and its spinning around the axis of own revolution had substantially depended on tidal interaction of our planet with the Moon, and for this reason we had to review a model of its origin <...>