Earth :
Earth is the third planet from the sun and is the only planet of the solar system where life could exist. It is the fifth-largest planet of our solar system. It is the only planet of the solar system whose English name is not derived from Greek/Roman mythology.
Earth's Profile:
Radius: 6,371 km
Distance From Sun: 149.6 million km
Mass: 5.972 × 10^24 kg
Physical Characteristics:
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. According to radiometric dating and other sources of evidence, Earth formed over 4.5 billion years ago.Earth orbits around the Sun in 365.26 days, a period known as an Earth year.
Earth's atmosphere and oceans were formed by volcanic activity and outgassing. Water vapor from these sources condensed into the oceans, augmented by water and ice from asteroids, protoplanets, and comets. In this model, atmospheric "greenhouse gases" kept the oceans from freezing when the newly forming Sun had only 70% of its current luminosity. By 3.5 By, Earth's magnetic field was established, which helped prevent the atmosphere from being stripped away by the solar wind.A crust formed when the molten outer layer of Earth cooled to form a solid. The two models that explain land mass propose either a steady growth to the present-day forms or, more likely, a rapid growth early in Earth history followed by a long-term steady continental area. Continents formed by plate tectonics, a process ultimately driven by the continuous loss of heat from Earth's interior. The present pattern of ice ages began about 40 Mya and then intensified during the Pleistocene about 3 Mya. High-latitude regions have since undergone repeated cycles of glaciation and thaw, repeating about every 40,000–100,000 years. The last continental glaciation ended 10,000 years ago.
The shape of the Earth is approximately oblate spheroidal. Due to the rotation, the Earth is flattened at the poles and bulging around the equator. The diameter of the Earth at the equator is 43 kilometers (27 mi) larger than the pole-to-pole diameter. Thus the point on the surface farthest from Earth's center of mass is the summit of the equatorial Chimborazo volcano in Ecuador (6,384.4 km (3,967.1 mi). The average diameter of the reference spheroid is 12,742 kilometers (7,918 mi). Local topography deviates from this idealized spheroid, although on a global scale these deviations are small compared to Earth's radius: The maximum deviation of only 0.17% is at the Mariana Trench (10,911 meters (35,797 ft) below local sea level), whereas Mount Everest (8,848 meters (29,029 ft) above local sea level) represents a deviation of 0.14%.
Structure:
Earth's interior, like that of the other terrestrial planets, is divided into layers by their chemical or physical (rheological) properties. The outer layer is a chemically distinct silicate solid crust, which is underlain by a highly viscous solid mantle. The crust is separated from the mantle by the Mohorovičić discontinuity. The thickness of the crust varies from about 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) under the oceans to 30–50 km (19–31 mi) for the continents. The crust and the cold, rigid, top of the upper mantle are collectively known as the lithosphere, and it is of the lithosphere that the tectonic plates are composed. Beneath the lithosphere is the asthenosphere, a relatively low-viscosity layer on which the lithosphere rides. Important changes in crystal structure within the mantle occur at 410 and 660 km (250 and 410 mi) below the surface, spanning a transition zone that separates the upper and lower mantle. Beneath the mantle, an extremely low viscosity liquid outer core lies above a solid inner core. The Earth's inner core might rotate at a slightly higher angular velocity than the remainder of the planet, advancing by 0.1–0.5° per year. The radius of the inner core is about one-fifth of that of Earth.
Some Facts About Earth:
- Earth is Mostly Iron, Oxygen and Silicon.
- 70% of the Earth’s Surface is Covered in Water.
- The Earth’s Atmosphere Extends to a Distance of 10,000 km.
- The Earth’s Molten Iron Core Creates a Magnetic Field.
- Earth is the Only Planet Known to Have Life.
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