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Thanks to science we have a fairly accurate concept of planet Earth. Its origin, its composition and structure and even its rotational and gravitational movement, do not suppose any enigma for human knowledge. However, knowing our planet in its entirety is not an easy task, so that today it continues to raise doubts and raise some unknowns.
In fact, at Ecologista Verde we are sure that we can still surprise you and also help you explain to the little ones some scientific curiosities about our planet. Are you curious? Keep reading and we will tell you these curiosities of the Earth for children with very simple explanations.
The earth is not round
It was long ago discovered that in reality, the earth is not round or completely spherical, its shape is irregular, being somewhat wider at the equator than at the poles, due to some differences in its internal composition and rotation. In addition, it presents other types of irregularities on its surface due to the weight of the oceans and continents, as well as the effect produced by the attraction of the moon.
The shape of the geoid, which is how it is called, is very useful for science, which explains the functioning of the internal processes of the Earth, the circulation of the oceans, the movement of large masses of ice, especially that of the poles and the changes in sea level.
Gravity is not the same on all Earth
There is a point located in Canada, in the hudson bay in which gravity behaves differently. In this point gravity is less than in other parts of the world, this is due to two factors:
- One is related to the movements of magma in the Earth's mantle and the movement that slowly displaces tectonic plates. These movements are called convection currents and are considered to be responsible for between 55% and 75% of the lower gravity in the area.
- The other factor is the disappearance of the ice sheet that existed in the past. Formerly, in the Ice Age, there was a gigantic layer of ice that covered the entire area and, due to its weight, caused the land to fall and sink in this area, changing its mass and gravity. This phenomenon is responsible for between 25% and 45% of the lesser severity.
The deepest point on Earth is under the sea
Another of the greats curiosities of the Earth for children it is undoubtedly the situation at the deepest point on the planet. The deepest point on planet Earth is in the Mariana Trench, which is located in the Pacific Northwest, east of the Mariana Islands near the island of Guam.
The lowest point on Earth is 10,994 meters deep and there the pressure is more than 1,100 atmospheres, while on the surface of planet Earth the pressure is 1 atmosphere.
If there were no Moon, the days on Earth would last 6 hours
First of all, we will make it clear that a planet does not need natural satellites. The fact that the Earth has the Moon and that it is the largest satellite in the Solar System in relation to its planet, is the result of a pure catastrophic coincidence.
Either way, the Moon produces a slowing effect on the Earth's rotation. According to scientists, before the Earth had the Moon, a day lasted only a few six or eight hours. Some experts point out that, on planets with a faster rotation, such as Jupiter, the winds are also stronger. Therefore, the Moon has prevented our planet from being subjected to gales of more than 160km / h on a daily basis, which, without a doubt, would have hindered the development of life and, with it, our existence.
In addition, the Moon also influences the stability of the Earth's axis of rotation. Without its presence, the movement of the Earth would change the inclination of the solar rays, having modified the climate considerably throughout history, there would be no eclipses, the nights would be darker and the tides would be much weaker.
In this other Green Ecologist article we tell you much more about The importance of the Moon on Earth.
A day doesn't last 24 hours
We believe that a normal day in our life lasts 24 hours, which would be the time it takes us to locate the sun in the same point in the sky, considering, therefore, that the Earth has made a complete turn on itself. But nevertheless, a day actually lasts 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds.
That is, every 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds, the Earth makes a complete turn on its axis, giving rise to the temporal succession and the change between day and night. This is the fact that there have been leap years. Here we tell you more about why there are leap years and what they are.
Earth is the blue planet
Another of the curiosities of the Earth for children The most prominent is that our planet has another common name: the blue planet. Contrary to what its main name suggests, this other name suggests that it is a planet that we identify with water.
The truth is that it is called that because, in reality, although there is a lot of habitable land, the Earth has a 70% of its surface covered with water. Specifically, 2.5% is fresh water and the rest is salt water. In addition, of the low percentage of fresh water, 68% of this is ice water that is at the poles.
The lungs of the Earth
To finish talking about some of the best known and at the same time strange curiosities of the Earth for children, we cannot leave behind the fact that the Amazon rainforest or Amazon jungle, which is located in South America, is known as the lungs of the earth.
It is known by this other common name because we can consider it to be the area of the planet that provides the most oxygen or O and consumes the most carbon dioxide or CO2. Specifically, 20% of the Earth's oxygen is produced in the Amazon rainforest in South America. This is undoubtedly an indisputable reason why this jungle area of the planet must be preserved.
If you want to read more articles similar to Curiosities of the Earth for children, we recommend that you enter our category of Curiosities of the Earth and the universe.
