Fun Facts About the Earth
By Amy Bentley Earth is a remarkable planet. Here are 10 fun facts about our planetary home:
AMAZING ATMOSPHERE: Near the surface, Earth’s atmosphere consists of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% other gases such as argon, carbon dioxide, and neon. The atmosphere shields humans from much of the sun’s harmful radiation. The atmosphere also protects us from meteoroids, most of which burn up in the atmosphere and are seen as meteors in the night sky before they can hit Earth as meteorites. EARTH IS NOT ROUND: We all
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE: Earth is the only planet in our solar system with liquid water on the
know by now that the Earth isn’t flat, but it’s not perfectly round, either. The Earth’s rotation causes the planet to bulge at the equator
surface. About 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water; 97% is saltwater. LIFE SUPPORT: Earth is the only planet or place we know of in the universe that is inhabited by living things and can support life. SIZE MATTERS: With an equatorial diameter of 7,926 miles, Earth is the fifth largest
and flatten at the poles, while the distribution of mass on Earth (which is not perfectly uniform) causes small variations in the gravitational pull at different locations on Earth. Earth is actually an ellipsoid, or a slightly squashed sphere.
This Earth Day, we are sharing the story behind our message, “For Our Groundwater, Our Care Is Constant.”
“For Our Groundwater” Our story starts with groundwater—local rain and snowmelt, along with imported water. Our ground- water is held deep down underground in earth’s natural holding area called the Main San Gabriel Basin. Groundwater provides nearly all of our water. “Our” There’s 1.5 million of us in the San Gabriel Valley. If you call the cities and communities in this valley home, our groundwater and its earthen basin connect us as our common ground and common cause.
“Care” At Watermaster, we care for our groundwater by protecting it and its natural basin. We also share the story of how we all have a role in our groundwaters care. Just imagine what 1.5 million of us can accomplish by living a water-wise lifestyle together! “Is Constant” Rain or shine, we are never out of a drought cycle. The drought cycle is constant, so all of our care needs to be constant too.
EARTH IS ANCIENT: By researching Earth’s rocks, scientists have calculated the Earth to be about 4.5 billion years old.
planet in our solar system. Just slightly larger than nearby Venus, Earth is the biggest of the four planets closest to the sun, all of which are made of rock and metal.
SUPER CONTINENT: Some 300 million years ago, Earth had only one massive supercontinent called Pangaea which was surrounded by a single ocean called Panthalassa. CORAL REEFS: Coral reefs are the largest living structure on Earth. These underwater ecosystems provide habitat and protection for many species and act as a natural barrier helping to protect coastlines from storms and erosion. Coral reefs face environmental threats including ocean acidification, rising temperatures and global warming.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?: Earth is the only planet in the solar system whose English name does not come from Greek or Roman mythology. The name was taken from Old English and Germanic. It simply means “the ground.” FLY ME TO THE SUN: Earth is 93,327,712 miles from the sun. If you took a passenger jet flying about 550 mph to fly to the sun, it would take 18-21 years to arrive. (And you’d earn lot of frequent flyer miles.)
To know more about the Main San Gabriel Basin, please visit: thewatersthatconnectus.com
Sources: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Geographic Kids, the European Space Agency, Livescience.com.
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