Project on the topic of interesting facts about the earth. Interesting facts about soil. What is the earth made of

Our planet is quite amazing and unique.

This is our only planet solar system, which, as far as we know, has life, and it is also the most beautiful. (We may be biased here, but you should always be biased towards your mother's beauty.)

There is always something new to learn, so here are 23 facts you probably never knew about Earth!

1. Most people know that Earth is the only planet in our solar system with an atmosphere that easily supports life (oxygen and water). What most people don't know is that the Earth is one of four terrestrial planets(which means it is rocky on the surface). Venus, Mars and Mercury are the other three.

2. Every 100 years, the Earth's orbit rotates about 2 milliseconds slower. We are slowing down.

3. Surprisingly, we have not explored much of the Earth. About 71% of the Earth's surface is covered with water, and we have barely explored the oceans. In fact, less than 10% (some say less than 5%) of the ocean has been explored. Over 200,000 marine species have been identified in the 10% that have been explored, so just imagine how much more amazing and unexplored remains in the oceans.

4. Despite the fact that most of the Earth's surface is covered with water, 68% fresh water on Earth are constantly frozen as ice caps and glaciers.

5. The earth is not quite round. It's a bit of a football field, thanks to the constant rotation. Therefore, despite the ideal sphere that we so often see, it is actually not so ideal.

6. No real black flowers. The planet just doesn't grow them. They are all very deep shades of purple or red, some so dark that our eyes perceive them as black, but they are not true black.

7. The largest earthquake that has ever been recorded occurred on May 22, 1960 in southern Chile near Valdivia. It is referred to as the "Great Chilean earthquake”, with a value of 9.5 points.

8. The great bristlecone pine in California is believed to be the oldest living organism on Earth, estimated at 5,067 years old. More famous, but slightly younger, is a tree of the same species called Methuselah, which is 4,850 years old.

9. Tides exist because of the moon. The moon's orbit controls the sea level, which results in... high tides. Moonquakes - like earthquakes, but on the Moon - can also affect the tides. If the moon disappears, there will be no tides, and many more unpleasant things will happen to our planet.

10. The largest mountain range and the deepest valley are under the ocean. The Mariana Trench - seven miles deep - is 11 km below the ocean floor, and only three people have been at its bottom. Despite the insane pressure of all the water, there is still life out there.

11. However, despite these high highs and low lows, the Earth is fairly smooth. Considering how big it is - a circumference of 24,901 miles - all these mountains and canyons, if you take into account, 1/5000th of the total circumference. This means that if the Earth were small enough to pick up, it would appear as smooth as a bowling ball.

12. Antarctica is one of the best places to look for meteorites. This is not only because there are more of them, but rather because they are quite easy to find due to the lack of vegetation and a large number snow. More meteorites have been found in Antarctica than anywhere else.

13. If all the ice in Antarctica melted, sea levels would rise 60 meters across the entire Earth.

14. Magnetic poles The lands are moving. They have moved before and they will move again. It's not the end of the world.

15. There are five main layers in the earth's atmosphere - Esphosphere, Thermosphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere and Troposphere. The higher, the thinner. The densest layer is the troposphere, where weather occurs.

16. There are boiling rivers on Earth. In the Peruvian rainforest, a legitimate shaman cares for and protects the sacred Mayantuyaku healing site. Mayantuyaku has a 4-mile-long river named Shanai-timpishka, which reaches a temperature of 91 ° C, although in some parts it really boils.

17. At least 30 different places on Earth have sand dunes that… sing. They sing and wheeze, and it sounds like something between a swarm of bees and the chanting of monks.

18. Earth's tectonic plates are constantly shuffling around each other, causing earthquakes, tsunamis, and forming mountains. They also play a very important role in the carbon cycle, which means carbon-based life forms do very well here.

19. Because of the quantity heavy elements in the composition of the Earth - lead, uranium - the Earth is the densest planet in the solar system, which gives it the highest surface gravity of any terrestrial object (planet, dwarf planets or moon) in the solar system.

20. The climate in general tends to change from warm to cold. There have been at least 5 major ice ages throughout the history of the planet, and we are technically still living on the tail of the last one, which started just over 3 million years ago and peaked around 20,000 years ago. According to scientists, ice ages start slowly and end abruptly, sometimes warming the world up to 20°F in just a few years! In the last 100,000 years alone, at least 24 such rapid temperature changes have occurred on Earth.

21. The moon of the Earth, which does not have an official name like the moons of other planets, is huge compared to the size of the Earth. Most scientists think this is because the Moon was part of the Earth. The theory says that millions of years ago an asteroid crashed into the Earth, causing one part to break off and eventually become the Moon. She just wants to stay close to home.

22. The softest mineral on Earth is talc. Yes, talc, which we use in cosmetics and on babies' feet, as well as in ceramic glazes and paper making.

23. Every year, our planet accounts for 40,000 tons of space dust. It is made of oxygen, nickel, iron, carbon and other elements. It's literally stardust. The planet is covered in this dust. We breathe it in. It's pretty cool if you think about it.

Mankind has taken a huge step from the concept that the Earth is flat to the scientifically proven fact that the Earth is just a grain of sand among hundreds of billions of stars and planets, on the outskirts of our galaxy. If you were looking interesting facts about the planet Earth, satellite video of the Earth, then this article is for you.


1. Unusual is the fact that all the planets of the solar system except ours bear names from Greek and Roman mythology.

2. Earth as a planet of the solar system appeared more than 4500000000 years ago. Before the appearance of life on the planet, several thousand million years passed from the birth of the Earth, and relatively recently, by geological standards, about four million years ago, people appeared.

3. If the history of the Earth is compressed to 24 hours, then life would already have appeared at four in the morning, and land plants at 10:24 in the evening. At 11:41 p.m. the result terrible disaster Dinosaurs would have become extinct, and human history would not have begun until 11:58:43 p.m.

4. From an astronomical point of view, the Earth occupies the most successful place in space for the origin and maintenance of life. The circumsolar orbit of the Earth is within the zone with the optimal temperature for the existence of water in liquid form, and this, according to scientists, is a prerequisite for the existence of life forms.

5. According to various estimates of scientists in our galaxy Milky Way There are more than 2 billion planets similar to Earth, this gives hope that perhaps we are not alone in the boundless universe.

6. The earth is not completely spherical. Since our planet is constantly rotating, this has also affected its shape - the Earth is somewhat convex at the equator and slightly flattened at the poles.

7. Distance from the Earth to the Sun is more than 149.6 million kilometers, and sunlight reaches the Earth in 8.3 minutes. This means that if the Sun suddenly went out, on Earth we would not notice it until eight minutes later.


8. If you drill a tunnel through the Earth and then jump into it, it will take you about 42 minutes to get to the other side.

9. According to exact calculations, our planet makes a full rotation around its axis in 23 hours and 56 minutes, that is, in fact, a day is somewhat shorter than the generally accepted 24 hours. This also applies to the length of the year, since the revolution around the Sun lasts more than 365 days and 6 hours. That is why every four years one more day is added to the calendar (February 29) and we call such a year a leap year.

10. Every century the length of the day increases by 1.7 milliseconds.

11. An earthquake near Japan in 2011 increased the speed of the Earth's rotation and thereby shortened the day by 1.8 microseconds.

12. If we did not have the Moon, a day on Earth would last no more than six hours.

13. The earth revolves around the sun with average speed over 107,000 kilometers per hour.

14. The Earth's magnetic field has been steadily weakening over the past 180 years, especially around Brazil. If the Earth did not have a constant strong magnetic field, we would all be fried by cosmic radiation and solar storms.

15. If the Sun were the size of a ball, then Jupiter would be the size of a golf ball, and the Earth would be small, like a pea. More than 1.3 million Earth-sized planets can be placed in the middle of the Sun.


16. If the Earth were the size of a billiard ball, then its surface would be smoother than the surface of the best billiard balls.

17. According to the famous US inventor Raymond Kurzweil, even 0.01% of the sunlight falling on Earth every day can satisfy energy needs all over the world.

18. Earth is the only place in the solar system where you can see a total solar eclipse.

19. From 10 to 20 volcanoes erupt somewhere on Earth every day.

20. Almost always somewhere on Earth you can observe a thunderstorm. Scientists estimate that more than 750 thunderstorms rage on our planet every day.

21. Lightning strikes the Earth's surface 100 times per second, or more than 8.5 million times a day.

22. Every year, scientists detect half a million earthquakes, one hundred thousand of which can be felt even without special instruments. Almost every 5 days, an earthquake occurs on Earth, which can lead to different levels of destruction.

The Earth is not just a giant spinning blue-green ball that, by coincidence, has become our home. The earth is perhaps the most amazing and unique planet throughout the universe. We present to your attention 5 curious facts that concern every earthling.

1. The earth is not round
And not flat, of course, too. The most appropriate name is a sphere, since gravitational forces prevent it from achieving the shape of an ideal ball. The equator of our planet is surrounded by protrusions that can be compared with the "ears" on the waist of a sweet tooth. If you trust only the numbers, then they are as follows: the polar radius of the Earth is 6357 km, and the equatorial one is 6378 km, that is, the latter is 21 km longer.

2. Oceans explored only 10%
Man went to the moon and launched a satellite to Mars, but you know what? Our native territories have not been studied to the end, to put it mildly. More than 90% of the sea and ocean depths of the Earth are still a closed book. According to experts, dark waters hide about 25 million living creatures that have not been described by science in any way. To date, only 212,906 species are known to us.

3. Cold record: -89.2 degrees Celsius

Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth, so it's no surprise that the coldest record was set there. On July 21, 1983, the thermometers of the Russian scientific station Vostok dropped to 89 degrees below zero. It was a cool summer!
Well, the record for the highest temperature was broken on September 13, 1922 in El Azizia, a city in northwestern Libya. On that day, people literally went crazy from the 58-degree (!) heat.

4. The highest point on Earth is not Everest

Reaching 8848 meters above sea level, Everest is rightfully considered a giant among mountain peaks. But now we know that the Earth is not round (see point 1), and therefore any object located near the equator will be a little closer to the stars. And although the “growth” of the extinct Chimborazo volcano in Ecuador is “only” 6268 meters, being on a “hillock” makes it technically more distant from the center of the Earth and thus 2.4 kilometers higher than Everest.

5. A few words about the moon

Tell me who your friend is and I'll tell you who you are. "Girlfriend" (scientifically - the only natural satellite) Earth The moon has a mysterious appearance. For example, the moon is covered in dust that smells like gunpowder but isn't even remotely gunpowder. Expression " dark side Moon" appeared not from scratch. Gravitational force The Earth slows down the movement of the satellite, so it makes a complete revolution once a month, and we always see only one side of it. Not without interesting coincidences: the Sun 400 times bigger moon and 400 times farther from the Earth, so these two planets seem to us the same size.

Sourced from Oddee.com

How much do we know about the world around us? It seems to us that it has been studied to the smallest detail, but it is not. The planet always brings surprises that will surprise even those who consider themselves not an impressionable person.

original name
Giving names to the planets of the solar system, astronomers were guided by the ancient pantheon. Virtually every notable heavenly body bears the name of a god or goddess, in extreme cases - famous hero or character.
The earth is an exception. The name was not borrowed from Roman or Greek mythology, and this distinguishes our house from other heavenly bodies.

The highest mountain
Everyone knows that the summit of Everest is considered the highest point in the world. Children learn this fact in school.
But at the same time, Everest is not the highest mountain, although its length from the sole to the top is 8.8 kilometers. The extinct volcano Mauna Kea, in Hawaii, has a height of 10.2 kilometers.


Why is the palm given to Everest? The fact is that most of Mauna Kea, about 6 kilometers, is hidden under water. Therefore, speaking of highest point planets, we mean exactly Everest.

deepest point
There are no discrepancies here. Of course, this is the Mariana Trench in pacific ocean. Here the depth reaches 10.9 kilometers below sea level.
It is so difficult to get down here that only three people have visited the Mariana Trench since its discovery: Don Walsh, Jacques Picard and Avatar director James Cameron. Cameron also became the first person to make a solo dive: Picard and Walsh descended in a two-seater Trieste.

Space dust on earth


Our planet is not isolated from the cosmos, it directly interacts with it every day. The main result of this is the dust that falls daily on the surface of the planet. In total - about 100 tons of cosmic dust. In its composition:
- evaporation from comets;
-pieces of colliding asteroids;
- fragments of burnt meteorites.

Where is the most gold?
The concentration of this precious metal is highest in the core of our planet. Up to 99% of all gold that is available on Earth is concentrated there. There is so much of it that it could cover the surface of the planet with a layer of half a meter. But it is impossible to get it not only because of the depth, but also because of the temperature of the earth's core - 5500 degrees Celsius, the same as on the Sun.

A place that has not seen water
It is hard to believe, but on our planet, rich in fresh and salt water, there are especially dry regions. It's about about the Akatama Desert located in Chile and Peru. In some parts of the country it never even rained.

The biggest and smallest
There are billions of living organisms on the planet. Which one is the largest and which one is the smallest?
Oddly enough, the largest palm is given to ... a mushroom. In these plants, the root system can grow very far. In 1992, honey agaric was found in Oregon, whose roots occupied 0.89 hectares.
And the smallest (not counting microorganisms and unicellular) is recognized as a pig-nosed bat: length 3-3.3 centimeters, weight up to 2 grams.


More interesting facts on Topkin.ru

Soil - is the most favorable substrate or habitat for the vast majority of living beings - microorganisms, animals and plants. In terms of their total biomass, the soil (the land of the Earth) is almost 700 times greater than the ocean, although the share of land accounts for less than 1/3 of the earth's surface.


Soil is the main regulator of the composition of the Earth's atmosphere. This is due to the activity of soil microorganisms, in huge quantities producing various gases - nitrogen and its oxides, oxygen, carbon dioxide and monoxide, methane and other hydrocarbons, hydrogen sulfide, and a number of other volatile compounds.


At least a million different insects (that is, 95% of total number species known to scientists) is somehow connected with the soil. Some spend their whole lives in the ground, the second lay eggs, the third - pupae lie in it, the fourth - larvae live. And each of these living creatures leaves its mark in the earth.


Nitrogen initially in the soil contains an average of 30 kg per hundred square meters, but only in an organic form, insoluble in water and inaccessible to plants. Nitrogen is gradually converted into an accessible mineral form by soil microorganisms.


On one hectare of virgin land, there are about 200 kilograms of microorganisms. The total mass of all living beings inhabiting this piece of land reaches a ton.


95% of the organic mass of a plant is formed from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Nitrogen - up to 4%, phosphorus - up to 0.8%, sulfur - up to 0.1%.


Now compare: In agricultural enterprises, in order to grow a good crop of carrots, 800 kilograms of mineral fertilizers are applied per hectare of cultivated fields, and one tonne of beets.


From each hundred acres of the garden, along with the harvest, it is taken out of the soil:
Late cabbage - 3.2 kg of nitrogen, 1.1 kg of phosphorus, 4.8 kg of potassium
Tomatoes - 1 kg of nitrogen, 1.6 kg of phosphorus, 1.3 potassium.
Radish - 0.5 kg of nitrogen, 0.18 - kg of phosphorus, 0.5 kg of potassium.


95% of the crop determine organic matter obtained in green leaves due to air nutrition of plants - photosynthesis, and only the remaining 5% depend on soil or mineral nutrition. But if these 5% are not provided, then 95% will remain only as a potential opportunity.


Of all the external conditions, the decisive factor in the growth of tomatoes is the night temperature. If at night it rises above 24 or falls below 16 degrees, the fruits do not set at all.


For the potato harvest - tubers are best formed at a night temperature of about 12 degrees.


In clear sunny days for harvesting, the most productive are the early morning hours, when the air temperature does not exceed 20-25°C. The increase in organic mass at this time is 30 times greater than at higher temperatures.


The water cycle in nature: ocean water, which makes up 93% of the hydrosphere, makes a complete revolution in 2600 years; water of rivers and lakes (5.4% of the hydrosphere) - for 3.3 years; soil moisture (1.6% of the hydrosphere) - for 0.9 years.

Other articles in the literary diary:

The daily audience of the Proza.ru portal is about 100 thousand visitors, who in total view more than half a million pages according to the traffic counter, which is located to the right of this text. Each column contains two numbers: the number of views and the number of visitors.

Read also: