December 8th, 2022

Big Bang to Humankind

  • In ~250 million years, tectonic plates will combine to create a new supercontinent.
  • Sun is getting hotter every day.
    • Right now, that doesn’t have an effect on climate, but eventually it will.
    • More storms, more chemical weathering.
  • Photosynthesis ends in 500-800 million years
    • Not enough CO2
  • Land life ends 800 million to 1 billion years from now.
    • Plants can no longer photosynthesize.
    • Huge amounts of water evaporates.
  • Oceans evaporate (1-2 billion years).
  • Outer core freezes, “the big chill” (2 billion years).
    • Materials in Earth that keep the core moving will run out.
    • No more magnetic field.
      • Earth will be subject to the sun’s wind.
  • Red giant sun, sun envelops the Earth (5-7 billion years)
  • There is evidence of liquid water on Jupiter and Saturn’s moons.
    • The tidal pull of gravity heats up these moons, which should usually be frozen.