Think you know everything about your planet?
1. More than 4 billion years ago, our planet was red
There was neither water nor forest. The earth rotated in a spiral at a tremendous speed, and one day on the planet lasted only 6 hours. Asteroids circled around the Earth’s orbit, instead of land – waves of lava and clumps of gases, while the influence of the Moon on the gravitational field is 25 times stronger than today. How did the Earth come to be as we know it? Thanks to bacteria that have learned to absorb sunlight and produce chlorophyll.
2. The disappearance of 80% of living creatures was caused by one bacterium
There is a theory that about 253 million years ago, when more than 80% of all sea creatures died out, the anomaly was caused by the proliferation of the methanosarcina bacterium, which produces methane and lives almost everywhere – both in ocean waters and in our intestines. On the other hand, such mass extinction of animals led to the appearance of dinosaur ancestors.
3. The moon is part of the Earth
According to another theory, there was not even a moon at the very beginning. 4.3 billion years ago, the Earth collided with the planet Teia, as a result of a powerful explosion, part of its mantle broke off and formed a satellite. And also, judging by the uneven surface of the Moon, there could be several satellites, which led to their collision and the formation of additional craters.
4. Sunlight reaches the Earth in 8 minutes
The distance between our planet and the Sun is huge – about 150 million km, that’s why the light reaches the Earth with a difference of almost 500 seconds.
5. Someday all the continents will be united again
The last time all the continents merged into one supercontinent about 300 million years ago, scientists gave it the name “Pelagia”. A little later, the earth split into 2 parts – Gondwana and Laurasia, which split into 6 more continents known now. But after 260-290 million years, the continents will meet again and become one.
6. There is so much gold in the bowels of our planet that the entire surface of the globe can be covered with it
Most of the gold is hidden at the bottom of the oceans. If it is extracted, each person will be able to become the happy owner of 5 kg of the precious metal. True, by that time he will cease to be so! And tons of gold are contained in seawater, unfortunately, in a dissolved form.
7. Fresh water reserves amount to only 2.5% of the total mass
Yes, the other 97.5% belong to the seas and ocean basins, in which the water is salty and initially not suitable for drinking. One more point: almost 70% of all fresh water is hidden in glaciers, 20% is contained in Lake Baikal, the rest is in rivers, lakes and the atmosphere as a whole. Scary statistics, isn’t it?
8. The driest place on Earth is located in the snow-white valleys of Antarctica
So, the Chilean desert, which has not seen precipitation for more than 2,000 years, ranks only second in the list of the driest places on Earth. The first belongs to the Dry Valleys of McMurdo Strait, which have not been irrigated with water for more than 2 million years. And the craziest winds blow here, accelerating to over 310 km/h.
9. The lowest, highest and deepest points of the Earth
It’s no secret that the Dead Sea is in the first place among the lowest points on Earth – 432 m below sea level, while it continues to fall at a fairly high speed. The depth of the Mariana Trench with recent measurements at the point of the “Challenger Abyss” reached a mark of 10,994 m below sea level. And the title of the highest peak continues to be held by Mount Jomolungma (located in the Himalayas) with a height of 8,848 meters.
10. The densest and lowest population density
If you are an introvert in Cuba, the most suitable place for you is Canada, the territory of Nunavut, where the population density does not exceed 0.02 people/km?. But the most densely populated region, where you will definitely not be allowed to breathe, is Bangladesh, where more than 1087 people/km?.
11. Because of the ellipsoidal shape, the Earth has uneven gravity
Scientists discovered gravitational fluctuations caused by the equal mass of the Earth and the movements of its magma. For example, Hudson Bay in Canada has slightly lower gravity values, which is essentially an anomaly. The reason lies in the fact that the Earth still has not had time to recover from the ice age, which shifted part of its mass, significantly deforming the crust.
12. The most devastating volcanic eruption occurred in Indonesia
In 1815, there was such a strong eruption on Mount Tambora that its roar could be heard 2 thousand kilometers from the very point of the events. Then the VEI scale assigned it 7 points out of 8. Today, according to meteorological centers, the most dangerous eruption will be the Cumbre Vieja eruption, the consequences of which will be hundred-meter waves that will cover West Africa and part of America.
13. Lakes on our planet can explode
This wonder can happen to those lakes that are located in the craters of volcanoes, on the type of Nios and Kivu in Cameroon. Yes, the magma under them releases a large amount of CO2, which accumulates at the bottom of the lake and can explode at any moment, cutting off oxygen.
But the most impressive fact about Earth: it is the only planet in the Milky Way that has an atmosphere, oceans of water and colorful natural landscapes, the very existence of which allowed humans to appear. Isn’t this an amazing discovery that sets it apart from billions of other planets?
