EARTH
Earth, also known as Tellus, is the third closet planet to the sun. It is largest of the solar system's terrestial planets and the only planetary body that modern science confirms harbors life. It has a single moon, dubbed 'the moon'.
The Earth's crust varies in thickness, usually thinner at the oceans and thicker under the continents. The inner core and crust are solid; outer core and mantle layers are plastic or semifluid.
Earth is the densest major body in the solar system.
Unlike other terrestial planets, the Earth's crust is divided into several seperate solid plates which float around independently on top of the hot mantle below. This theory is described as plate tetonics.
There are (at present) eight major plates:
North American Plate - North America, western North Atlantic and Greenland Earth's Plate Boundaries delineated by earthquake epicenters
South American Plate - South America and western South Atlantic
Antarctic Plate - Antarctica and the "Southern Ocean"
Eurasian Plate - eastern North Atlantic, Europe and Asia except for India
African Plate - Africa, eastern South Atlantic and western Indian Ocean
Indian-Australian Plate - India, Australia, New Zealand and most of Indian Ocean
Nazca Plate - eastern Pacific Ocean adjacent to South America
Pacific Plate - most of the Pacific Ocean (and the southern coast of California!)
The Earth is belived to be fairly young.
71% of the Earth's surface is covered by water. Earth is the only planet which water can exist as a liquid form on the surface. Liquid water, of course, is essential for life as we know it.
The Earth's atmosphere is made up of 77% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, with traces of argon, carbon dioxide and water.
The Earth's crust varies in thickness, usually thinner at the oceans and thicker under the continents. The inner core and crust are solid; outer core and mantle layers are plastic or semifluid.
Earth is the densest major body in the solar system.
Unlike other terrestial planets, the Earth's crust is divided into several seperate solid plates which float around independently on top of the hot mantle below. This theory is described as plate tetonics.
There are (at present) eight major plates:
North American Plate - North America, western North Atlantic and Greenland Earth's Plate Boundaries delineated by earthquake epicenters
South American Plate - South America and western South Atlantic
Antarctic Plate - Antarctica and the "Southern Ocean"
Eurasian Plate - eastern North Atlantic, Europe and Asia except for India
African Plate - Africa, eastern South Atlantic and western Indian Ocean
Indian-Australian Plate - India, Australia, New Zealand and most of Indian Ocean
Nazca Plate - eastern Pacific Ocean adjacent to South America
Pacific Plate - most of the Pacific Ocean (and the southern coast of California!)
The Earth is belived to be fairly young.
71% of the Earth's surface is covered by water. Earth is the only planet which water can exist as a liquid form on the surface. Liquid water, of course, is essential for life as we know it.
The Earth's atmosphere is made up of 77% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, with traces of argon, carbon dioxide and water.
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