Our planet is still a mystery, with new plant and animal species becoming apparent each new day. The majority of our oceans still remain largely unexplored, and yet when new depths are delved into, and unknown world of new life-form presents itself more often than not. The earth is a constant showcase of extremes, shifting and changing all the time to reveal its secrets. Here is a few new ones you may not have been aware of
The earth is not round. The particular name for it is oblate spheroid, meaning its slightly flattened on the top and bottom poles. It also has an indentation!
If the seas were to dry up, and the ocean water were to completely evaporate, the amount of salt that would spread over the earth would result in a 500 foot layer blanketing everything.
Each and every day, our earth is sprinkled with fairy dust raining down from the heavens. Around 100 tons of interplanetary material, in the form of dust, settles in an invisible cover over the Earth’s surface on a daily basis. Tiny particles are released by comets as the ice melts near the sun. Knowledgeable in all things dust, Dust Extraction Solutions, coined an interesting quote; Dust is a world in itself. A microscopic haven of particles created by all facets of life. And as the universe holds it sediment secrets, we are privileged enough to discover new technologies every day that aid humans in the control of unseen particles, that could potentially inflict asthma and allergies. So that sneeze could actually be caused by moon-dust! Just as curious, when it comes to sediment, is the planets deserts. They are not entirely comprised of sand! The world’s largest desert, the Sahara, takes up around one third of Africa, and continues to grow every day. The barren land is, in actual fact, composed of 85% rocks and gravel.
We feel like we’re standing still, but we are indeed moving rather quickly. Depending on what location youre living in, your home could be spinning through space at around 1000 mph. Those at the equator move faster, while people in the North and South Pole could be perfectly still. The earth is not only spinning though, it also moves around the sun at roughly 107, 826 km/h.
The age of our planet is researched by geologists in a manner of dating meteorites that have landed here, and through the oldest rocks they can find. Meteorites on earth were formed at the same time the solar system eventuated. Findings show that the planet Earth is now 4.54 billion years old.
Our deepest lake is situated in the former USSR, Lake Baikal. It has a length of 400 miles, but the fascinating part is its depths. The lake extends to 5371 feet below, and it said that all five of the next largest lakes could be emptied into it.
The earth produces over 1 million earthquakes a year, it’s just that many of them don’t show on the Richter scale, and therefore are not recorded.
Not enough time in the day? In saying that, you’d be right. There isn’t actually 24 hours in sun up and sun down. The exact time it takes the planet to rotate on its axis is 23 hours and four minutes what’s known as a sidereal day.
We once, according to scientists, had a twin planet called Theia, which was around the size of Mars, and was 60° either behind or in front of the planet we inhabit. 4.583 years ago, Theia crashed into the earths surface, and was absorbed into the terrain. However, a large portion separated, and combined with the minerals from outburst, it created the moon.
The name earth comes from Anglo-Saxons. While every other planet in the solar system gets its name from either Greek or Roman gods, the word earth originates from the Anglo Saxon Erda meaning ground or soil. The terminology is believed to be 1000 years old. Kind of ironic to be named after soil, when we are the only planet in existence covered by 71% water!
