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LITHOEN

Geological process

Accretion

The growth of a planetary body by the accumulation of smaller objects. Earth’s accretion is not directly observable; its timing is constrained by the ages of meteorites, which record the formation of the Solar System.

How this record is known

1
Directly recorded
Observed or measured, reported by the party that made the observation.
1
Settled consensus
Cited as the accepted position of the discipline.

2 of 2 claims on this page cite at least one registered source. Counts describe how each statement is known, not how likely it is to be true.

What Lithoen records

Each claim states how it is known and cites its evidence.

EstablishedGrowth of the planet by accumulation and compression of cosmic debris, converting gravitational energy into heat.

Earth formed by the falling together and compression of cosmic debris, a process that left the planet with a store of gravitational energy as heat.

Evidence support: Supported by the cited evidence one source

Evidence: Kious 1996 Primary authority

Measured4.58–4.53 Ga before present

Radiometric dating of more than seventy meteorites of different types shows that the meteorites, and therefore the Solar System, formed between 4.53 and 4.58 billion years ago.

  • method: Radiometric dating of meteorites, which are fragments of asteroids and the most primitive objects available for dating.

Evidence support: Supported by the cited evidence one source

Evidence: Newman 1997 Primary authority

In the knowledge graph

Record last updated 2026-09-06. Corrections follow the published corrections policy; superseded claims are retained, never silently edited.