- More than 2200 years ago, the Greeks discovered that the Earth is round? They even calculated an almost accurate circumference of the Earth.
- The Earth is not a perfect globe? Its circumference at the equator is 40,077 km, whereas measured over the poles it is 68 km less.
- ‘Atmosphere’ is a Greek word that means ‘ball of vapor’?
- At one point the mid-Atlantic ridge rises above the ocean surface? It is the island of Iceland in North Europe.
- The Earth’s crust is up to 60 km thick below the continents, whereas it is just 5-10 km below the oceans?
- The plate boundaries do not follow the coastline, but instead, go midway through oceans and continents?
- Dinosaurs were wiped out by volcanoes that erupted in India about 65 million years ago?
- Magma is called lava once it comes out on the surface?
- There are volcanoes on other planets too? The Olympus Mons on Mars is the highest volcano in our solar system, with a height of 26.4 km.
- About 10,000 earthquakes occur every year, of which only a few cause damage?
- In December 2004, around 230,000 people died in a devastating tsunami?
- Most of the tsunamis do not cause any damage, as they occur in the sparsely populated Pacific area?
- Animals often behave strangely or flee before an earthquake? They seem to sense something, which we cannot experience.
- The deepest point in all the oceans, the Mariana Trench in the Pacific, is just 11 km deep?
- There is a sea surrounded by water? The Sargasso Sea to the east of Florida (USA) is separated from the surrounding Atlantic ocean by ocean currents.
- There are icebergs almost as large in area as the city of Houston in Texas? For example, the B15 Antarctic iceberg was the world’s largest recorded.
- Some people are planning to haul icebergs to countries that have water scarcity?
- Researchers can dive up to a depth of 6000 m in small, special submarines? The ‘black smokers’ were discovered in one such dive.
- Glaciers carry away whatever is added to them from any direction? As a result of this phenomenon, huge stretches of debris or walls of debris, known as ‘moraines’, are left behind when the glaciers melt away.
- A few people pan for gold in the Alps as a hobby? They swing the river sand in large flat bowls to accumulate gold particles. In this way, about 1 g of gold can be collected every day, which is worth 15 euros.
- The temperature in the Sahara rises to 45°C during the day, while at the night it drops to just about 5°C?
- Earlier people used to throw ‘bottle messages’ in the ocean currents to find out the direction of flow?
- Around 12,000 years ago, in the last ice age, the gulf stream dried up? Consequently, the whole of Scandinavia was covered with ice.
- Around 500 years ago, there was a ‘small ice age’, which lasted for about 200 years? At that time, even the flat lagoons of Venice, which are usually quite warm, froze.
- Does a hurricane move only at a speed of 20 km/h over the sea? However, wind speeds within the air vortex can reach up to 300 km/h and hurl house rooftops and entire boats through the air.
- Over 2000 thunderstorms occur in the world every day?
- Tornadoes, which resemble swirling clouds, come down to the ground from the clouds above? Such air vortices are also known as ‘landspouts’ when they occur on land, and ‘waterspouts’ when they occur over the water.
- There are no seasons on the planet Venus? The reason is that Venus’s axis of rotation is almost vertical.
- Does the sunrise 16 times in 24 hours at the International Space Station (ISS)? This means that the space station moves around the Earth 16 times during this period.
- In the weeks around 21 June, the sun is at its highest point in the northern hemisphere and appears to circle the sky without sinking below the horizon?
- Is the seasonal cycle in the polar and temperate zones of one hemisphere opposite in the other? When it is summer in the northern hemisphere, it is winter in the southern hemisphere.
- Water is present on other planets as water vapor or ice, but not in its liquid form?
- The ‘blue-green algae’ are called cyanobacteria? They are an exception in the animal world because they carry out photosynthesis like plants.
- The blue color of the Earth is due to the copious amount of water present on it? Water is transparent, but deep water bodies ‘absorb’ the red and yellow rays of light. Therefore, only the blue rays get reflected and reach our eyes.
- By studying the wavy lines on the shells of ammonites, we can determine the period when they lived? These lines also tell us the age of the rock, in which these fossils were found.
- We often find fossils while walking through harvested land or at the borders of fields? The chances of finding fossils are high at places where the rock is chalky.
- There is a term known as ‘light pollution? It refers to the artificial lights of the cities that illuminate the night sky and create difficulties for the astronomers in studying the night sky.
- The flag of Australia features a constellation on it? This constellation is called the ‘Southern Cross’. You can see it only when you are in the southern hemisphere. It is never visible in Europe.
- The footprints of the astronauts can remain on the surface of the moon for a long time because they are not blown over by the wind?
- Even at full moon, the Earth is positioned in between the sun and the moon? It is only when there is a lunar eclipse that the Earth is exactly in line with the sun and moon.
40 Unknown Facts About Earth That Will Blow Your Mind.
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