Exploring Earth: Our Life-Supporting Planet

Earth is the only known planet to support life, thanks to its liquid water, suitable atmosphere, and ideal distance from the sun, fostering a climate that sustains diverse ecosystems.

Our planet is about 4.54 billion years old. Scientists determined this through radiometric age dating of meteorite material and is consistent with the ages of the oldest-known terrestrial and lunar samples.

Earth's lithosphere is fragmented into tectonic plates. These plates move over time, causing earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation, reshaping continents and oceans.

Earth's core generates a geomagnetic field, protecting us from harmful solar radiation. This field undergoes reversals, where north becomes south, at irregular intervals, averaging a few times every million years.

Earth's atmosphere wasn't always oxygen-rich. Oxygen accumulated about 2.4 billion years ago during the Great Oxygenation Event, thanks to photosynthetic microorganisms, which radically changed the planet’s habitability.

The deep ocean is home to underwater brine pools, underwater waterfalls, and the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in Earth's oceans, reaching depths of nearly 11,000 meters.

The cryosphere encompasses Earth's frozen water parts, including glaciers, ice caps, and sea ice. It's vital for climate regulation, sea-level control, and habitat for polar species.

Scientists discovered vast water reserves deep within Earth's mantle, potentially holding more water than all surface oceans combined.