Ten wonderful facts about our planet you’ve never heard before. We think we know everything about our home planet, but we couldn’t be more wrong. Scientists have already discovered a lot about the universe, but they believe there is still much more to learn about our planet.
Did you know that the Moon was once part of Earth? We were so surprised to find out new amazing things that we decided to share them with you right away.
Number ten – Mount Everest is not the tallest mountain in the world. Hawaiian Mauna Kea has an altitude of 13,795 feet above sea level. However, the biggest part of the volcano rests below sea level. So, if measured from the base to the summit, Mauna Kea is 33,475 feet high, which is 4,445 feet taller than Mount Everest.
Number nine – neighboring states can have a twenty-four hour time difference. Despite the fact that American Samoa is only 1,240 miles away from the Line Islands that form part of Kiribati, the time difference between the two neighbors is 25 hours.
Number eight – the driest place on Earth is located in Antarctica. It’s commonly believed that the driest place on Earth is the Atacama desert in Chile that hasn’t had rainfall for thousands of years. But the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica have seen no rain for nearly two million years. The winds here can reach speeds of 200 miles per hour.
Number seven – fresh water represents only 3% of all water on Earth. The oceans and seas hold 97% of Earth’s water, but it’s salty ocean water, not suitable for drinking. The remaining 3% of total fresh water is held in glaciers (70%) and Lake Baikal (20%).
Number six – the world’s oldest temple is about twelve thousand years old. Göbekli Tepe, the oldest known temple, is located in Southern Turkey. Researchers believe that the carvings on the pillars prove that roughly eleven thousand years ago a comet strike caused a sudden temperature drop on our planet.
Number five – the Moon was once part of Earth. The moon’s oxygen and titanium are very close to those on Earth. Swedish scientists suggest that some 4.36 billion years ago planet Earth collided with hypothesized planetary-mass object Theia, leading to the formation of Earth’s only permanent natural satellite.
Number four – continents will reunite in 250 million years. As we know, Pangea, a super continent that existed 335 to 175 million years ago, split into two different continents forming Laurasia and Gondwana. Later, the two split apart to form all seven continents. But scientists believe the continents will group together again in 250 to 300 million years from now, and will become a single super continent called Pangaea Ultima.
Number three – a single-celled organism caused the first mass extinction. Scientists from Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggest a theory explaining the mass extinction that wiped out almost 90% of all living creatures on Earth. A bacteria named Methanosarcina suddenly bloomed in the oceans 252 million years ago, triggering the only mass extinction of insects known to science. It also gave Archosaurus a unique opportunity to evolve. By the way, crocodiles evolved from Archosaurus.
Number two – most of our planet always lies in the dark. As we know, the world’s ocean occupies 71% of our planet’s surface. The depth of the water exposed to sunlight is no more than 655 feet, so the rest of the water is permanently in the dark. Therefore, most of our planet rests in the dark at any time of day.
Number one – Earth’s atmosphere has borders. The Kármán line is an internationally accepted line that lies at an altitude of 62 miles above sea level. Although the level of Earth’s atmosphere ends much higher, this very line was recognized by the world air sports federation as the boundary between the atmosphere and outer space. share it with others and click subscribe to stay on the bright side of life.
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