Welcome, dear Earthlings! Before you ask, this isn’t a quiz show, and there won’t be a pop quiz at the end. But buckle up because what we’re about to look at is far more intriguing. Who said the school had a monopoly on fascinating facts?
We’re about to debunk that myth faster than a speeding comet. We’ve scoured the cosmos (quite literally) and uncovered 15 mind-boggling, cosmos-convulsing facts about our very own planet Earth that you probably didn’t learn at school. So, sit back, stretch your cranium, and prepare to have your Earth-loving minds blown!
World’s Tallest Mountain
Did you know the tallest mountain in the world isn’t really a mountain at all? It’s actually a volcano – Mauna Kea, located on the big island of Hawaii. Mount Everest in the Himalayas usually claims this prestigious title, towering over 29,000 feet above sea level.
However, Mauna Kea stands an incredible 30,610 feet tall at its peak! Despite being so high, almost two-thirds of Mauna Kea is submerged beneath the ocean. Wow!
Drifting Australia
Speaking of continents, you may not know Australia’s location near several other plates means it drifts along at a rate of 2.7 inches per year in a north-easterly direction! It’s not too shabby for something so big and heavy.
Australia is on the move at an astonishing pace! Updates to maps and GPS systems are required regularly, as it shifted nearly 5 feet between 1994 and 2016, as reported by National Geographic.
A Lot of Water but Little Drinkable
Though 70% of Earth is covered by water, only 2.5% is fresh. Thirsty yet? DW states that water, a vital resource, blankets approximately 70% of Earth’s surface. Surprisingly, a mere 2.5% of it is fresh.
But here’s the catch: 70% of that minuscule fraction is held captive in glaciers and ice caps, leaving less than 1% to satisfy our thirst, hygiene, agriculture, and industrial requirements. It’s a delicate balance we must respect and protect. 💧🌍
Gorgeously Green Sahara
The Sahara Desert was once a lush green landscape about 8000 years ago. Imagine a ‘Green Sahara,’ when North Africa bloomed with life, thanks to powerful monsoons.
This African Humid Period transformed the region into a lush and vibrant landscape, far different from the arid desert we know today.
Fastest Wind Speed Ever Recorded
The fastest wind speed ever recorded on Earth is 253 miles per hour. Brainly states that the record for the strongest wind speed ever recorded belongs to Tropical Cyclone Olivia.
This fierce storm unleashed its power on Barrow Island, Australia 1996, clocking in at a mind-blowing 253 miles per hour (408 kilometers per hour).
Earth Isn’t Round
It’s an oblate spheroid, slightly flattened on the top and bottom and bulging in the middle. No, your globe isn’t defective.
After centuries of exploration, we’ve understood that the Earth is not simply flat, but rather a fascinating oblate spheroid. It’s like a cosmic work of art, nearly flat at the poles, yet gracefully round at the sides. Its gentle elliptical shape gives birth to its enchanting transformation into an oblate spheroid.
Oceans Galore
Scientists estimate that we’ve only explored 5% of the Earth’s oceans. Who knows what’s lurking in the deep? Oceanographer David G. Gallo reveals that we’ve barely scratched the surface of this planet – maybe not even 5%!
Apparently, there’s an underwater waterfall that puts Angel Falls to shame, standing 5 times taller! “The life in the ocean is what I am most curious about,” researcher Gro van der Meeren says.
Deadliest Creature
The mosquito is Earth’s deadliest creature, spreading diseases like malaria that kill close to a million people every year. Bet you didn’t see that coming!
According to Pfizer, did you know that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention refers to mosquitoes as the “world’s deadliest animal”? It may sound surprising for such a tiny insect weighing just 2.5 milligrams, but it’s a title well-deserved. These pesky creatures are responsible for over 700,000 deaths worldwide each year, as they transmit various vector-borne diseases. Stay protected!
Living Fossils
The horseshoe crab is older than the dinosaurs and hasn’t evolved much in over 445 million years. Talk about sticking to what works!
FWC states that horseshoe crabs are “living fossils,” having existed unchanged for over 445 million years. That’s even before the time of dinosaurs! But here’s the catch: horseshoe crabs aren’t really crabs at all. In fact, they’re more closely related to spiders and other arachnids than they are to crabs or lobsters! Nature’s got some amazing surprises, doesn’t it?
Earth’s Rotation is Slowing Down
Every century, Earth’s rotation slows down by about 1.7 milliseconds. You can blame the moon for that extra-long workday!
Wikipedia notes that Earth’s rotation is gradually slowing down. Yep, that’s right! As a result, days were shorter in the past. This fascinating phenomenon is caused by the tidal effects exerted by our trusty Moon on Earth’s rotation. And get this: modern-day atomic clocks reveal that our days are now longer by about 1.7 milliseconds compared to a century ago. This gradual change even impacts how we adjust Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) with leap seconds. Science really knows how to keep us on our toes, doesn’t it?
Gold in Ocean
There’s enough gold in the Earth’s oceans for each person to have nine pounds of it. Start your gold rush!
Antarctica’s Ghost Mountains
There are mountains in Antarctica as tall as the Alps, but you can’t see them—they’re buried under two miles of ice!
The Guardian states that scientists have made a captivating discovery: beneath the vast expanse of ice in eastern Antarctica lies a mountain range as colossal as the European Alps. With peaks soaring up to 3,000m above sea level, this revelation raises intriguing questions about the formation of the continent’s massive ice sheets.
Largest Single Organism
The world’s largest living organism is a giant Armillaria fungus in Oregon, USA. This humongous fungi covers 2,400 acres and is estimated to be over 8,000 years old!
The vast network of underground mushroom strands has spread slowly across the region for centuries. This remarkable discovery shows us just how resilient nature can be.
Raining Frogs
There have been reports of frogs and fish raining from the sky! Though this may sound like an urban legend, it is actually supported by several eyewitness accounts.
The occurrence remains unexplained, but some believe that tornadic storms were the likely culprit for this incredible phenomenon. It just goes to show how much of nature remains shrouded in mystery.
Quaking Earth
Earth experiences about half a million earthquakes each day. Thankfully, most of them are too small to be felt.
According to National Geographic, every single day, our planet experiences a staggering half-million quakes. Most tremors go unnoticed because they are too small, deep, or hidden beneath the vast ocean depths. But there are those rare few that possess such immense power, and their impact reverberates across thousands of miles.
And there you have it! Your fun and slightly bonkers guide to Earth. Who knew our planet was such a crazy place?
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17 Of The Most Peaceful Dog Breeds on Earth
15 Places on Earth That Are Too Good to Be Real
Welcome, dear earthlings, to a voyage of pure wonder and enchantment! We’re going on a whirlwind tour of 15 spots on our planet that are so spectacular they’ll make you rub your eyes in disbelief. These places are not the work of a fanciful artist but the masterpieces of Mother Nature herself, flaunting her finest work.
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20 Super Cringeworthy Things We Sadly Embrace as the New Normal
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15 Worst Political Adverts in U.S History
From the dawn of televised campaigns to the era of viral internet memes, U.S. political adverts have always been a spectacle in their own right. While many have managed to make influential and inspiring messages, others have left us scratching our heads or shaking them in disbelief.
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13 Things Donald Trump Says He Knows “More About Than Anybody”
When it comes to knowledge, most of us have our niches. Some of us are history buffs; others could recite every line from “Star Wars” in their sleep. But when you’re the ever-confident Donald Trump, you’re not limited to just one or two areas of expertise.
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