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Related Concept Videos

Conditions on Early Earth02:06

Conditions on Early Earth

Around 4 billion years ago, oceans began to condense on earth while volcanic eruptions released nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen into the primordial atmosphere. However, organisms with the characteristics of life were not initially present on earth. Scientists have used experimentation to determine how organisms evolved that could grow, reproduce, and maintain an internal environment.
The Soil Ecosystem02:23

The Soil Ecosystem

Plants obtain inorganic minerals and water from the soil, which acts as a natural medium for land plants. The composition and quality of soil depend not only on the chemical constituents but also on the presence of living organisms. In general, soils contain three major components:
Classifying Matter by Composition03:35

Classifying Matter by Composition

Matter: Pure Substances and Mixtures
According to its composition, the matter can be classified into two broad categories — pure substances and mixtures. 
A pure substance is a form of matter that has a constant composition throughout with uniform properties. For example, any sample of sucrose has the same composition and same physical properties, such as melting point, color, and sweetness, regardless of the source from which it is isolated. 
A mixture is composed of two or more types of...
Conditions on Early Earth02:06

Conditions on Early Earth

Around 4 billion years ago, oceans began to condense on earth while volcanic eruptions released nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen into the primordial atmosphere. However, organisms with the characteristics of life were not initially present on earth. Scientists have used experimentation to determine how organisms evolved that could grow, reproduce, and maintain an internal environment.
What is Matter?01:13

What is Matter?

The substance of the universe—from a grain of sand to a star—is called matter. Scientists define matter as anything that occupies space and has mass. An object’s mass and its weight are related concepts, but not quite the same. An object’s mass is the amount of matter contained in the object and is the same whether that object is on Earth or in the zero-gravity environment of outer space. An object’s weight, on the other hand, is its mass as affected by the pull of gravity. Where gravity...
Geoid and Ellipsoid01:28

Geoid and Ellipsoid

The Earth's shape is best described as an ellipsoid, a slightly flattened sphere created by rotating an ellipse around its minor axis. This flattening results in the polar axis being about 21 kilometers shorter than the equatorial axis. In contrast, the geoid represents the Earth's gravitational shape and aligns with the mean sea level (MSL). The geoid is an irregular equipotential surface where gravity is perpendicular at every point. Variations in Earth's mass distribution cause geoid...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory
06:04

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory

Published on: November 15, 2013

Determining the composition of the Earth.

Michael J Drake1, Kevin Righter

  • 1Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson 85721-0092, USA. drake@lpl.arizona.edu

Nature
|March 8, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Earth's building blocks are not found in current meteorite collections. New analysis suggests Earth formed from unique, unsampled materials, termed "Earth chondrites" or "Earth achondrites".

Area of Science:

  • Planetary Science
  • Geochemistry
  • Cosmochemistry

Background:

  • The composition of Earth and terrestrial planets is a fundamental question in planetary science.
  • Historically, chondritic meteorites were considered the primary building blocks of terrestrial planets.
  • Existing meteorite collections do not fully represent the material composition of Earth's mantle.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the origin of Earth's building blocks.
  • To reconcile the chemical and isotopic compositions of Earth, Mars, comets, and meteorites.
  • To identify the missing components in current meteorite collections.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of Mg/Si and Al/Si ratios.
  • Analysis of oxygen-isotope, osmium-isotope, D/H, Ar/H2O, and Kr/Xe ratios.

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Metal-silicate Partitioning at High Pressure and Temperature: Experimental Methods and a Protocol to Suppress Highly Siderophile Element Inclusions
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Combined Size and Density Fractionation of Soils for Investigations of Organo-Mineral Interactions
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Combined Size and Density Fractionation of Soils for Investigations of Organo-Mineral Interactions

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Last Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory
06:04

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory

Published on: November 15, 2013

Metal-silicate Partitioning at High Pressure and Temperature: Experimental Methods and a Protocol to Suppress Highly Siderophile Element Inclusions
11:50

Metal-silicate Partitioning at High Pressure and Temperature: Experimental Methods and a Protocol to Suppress Highly Siderophile Element Inclusions

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Combined Size and Density Fractionation of Soils for Investigations of Organo-Mineral Interactions
08:38

Combined Size and Density Fractionation of Soils for Investigations of Organo-Mineral Interactions

Published on: February 15, 2019

  • Comparison of terrestrial and extraterrestrial material compositions.

    • Main Results:

    • Significant discrepancies exist between Earth's material composition and that of known meteorites.
    • Isotopic and elemental ratios (Mg/Si, Al/Si, O, Os, H, Ar, Kr) indicate unique precursors for Earth and Mars.
    • No primitive material matching Earth's mantle composition is currently found in meteorite collections.

    Conclusions:

    • The 'building blocks' of Earth are not represented by currently available chondritic meteorites.
    • Earth likely formed from unsampled primitive materials, referred to as 'Earth chondrites' or 'Earth achondrites'.
    • Future research should focus on identifying and characterizing these unique terrestrial precursors.