9 amazing facts about planet Earth that will surprise you

The Earth is so far the only known planet where complex life exists, the human has not found signs of life on any nearby planet. Perhaps the daily existence has created an effect of undervalue towards our home, however, we must not lose sight of the fact that the Earth offers us endless riches that are impossible to quantify. To highlight the fascination of our biological bubble, we tell you 9 amazing facts about planet Earth.

Curious facts about planet Earth

it is not round

The Earth is usually represented as a perfect orb, as an example we have computer simulations or globes. However, the Earth is not round at all, but has a flattened shape at the poles. If we had to classify its shape in a geometric figure, then we would not say that it is a sphere, but a geoid.

This is due to the centrifugal force produced by the rotational movement and the gravitational interaction. The force produces a flattening at the poles and a widening at the equatorial line, as a consequence we have a geoid Earth and not perfectly round.

Gravity does not work the same in all regions of the Earth

Now that we understand that the Earth is not uniformly round, we can understand that the incidence of the gravitational field does not act the same everywhere. In addition, the Earth’s surface is not homogeneous either, so the mass of the planet is not evenly distributed. Together these factors cause variations in the value of the gravitational field.

liquid cover

Currently liquid water covers 70% of the Earth, we have heard it as a mantra: Three quarters of the planet are covered by water. However, this was not always the case and the proportion was much larger billions of years ago. According to recent research, when life began to emerge on the planet, the Earth was completely covered by water.

The mantle has more water than the surface

Like everything in nature, water is also part of a balance; there could be no water and just disappear like that. So what happened? What happened is that the Earth’s mantle absorbed large amounts of liquid, as if it were a giant sponge. Thus only the oceans we know today were left. Which means that the Earth’s mantle has more amounts of water than what the surface contains.

There is a planet living inside

One of the little known facts about the planet is that in the depths of the Earth there are a couple of phenomena known as large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVP). In simple words, they are anomalous globes belonging to the lowest mantle, the one that adjoins the outer core. The researchers believe that these core anomalies once belonged to the inner core of another planet called Theia that collided with Earth. As a consequence of the impact and the difference in densities, the terrestrial core absorbed the core of Theia that now lives in the depths of our planet.

active tectonic plates

Like all terrestrial or rocky planets, Earth has plate tectonics. However, it is the only planet known to have activity on them. It could be said that our planet is alive, thanks to the movement of the tectonic plates is that we have rocky and mountainous formations on the surface. In addition to being responsible for volcanic activity.

The cycle of the plates is also an important part in the regulation of the terrestrial temperature through the permanent renewal of the ocean floors. They not only generate earthquakes, but keep the Earth alive.

It’s a huge magnet

The composition of the Earth is much more complex than we can understand, it is made up of different layers that each play a crucial role. In the center we have the person responsible for our planet behaving like a magnet of great immensity.

It is in the liquid outer core, where the magnetic field that keeps us safe from solar winds is generated. It is composed of nickel and iron molten at high temperatures that behave like liquid, rotate and flow like water. Thanks to this natural phenomenon, the Earth acts like a huge magnet and has magnetic poles.

The magnetic poles do not coincide with the geographic ones

And speaking of magnetic poles, it should be noted that sometimes they are confused with the geographic poles, but they are not the same. We know that the Earth has an angle of inclination on the ecliptic of 23°, an imaginary line crosses through the center of the planet, cutting at the geographic north and south poles. In the north we have the Arctic Ocean and in the south we have Antarctica and they never vary.

The magnetic poles, on the contrary, change location depending on the movements of the Earth’s outer core that generate variations in the magnetic field. Throughout geological history, the magnetic poles have varied so much in position that they have even been known to reverse completely.

What is the largest living structure?

The largest living structure on Earth is the Great Barrier Reef, with an extension of 2 thousand kilometers in length. It is so big that it can even be seen from outer space through satellite photographs.

The Great Barrier Reef is made up of different species and is extremely important for the survival of the marine ecosystem where it is located. In 1981 it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

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