Exploring Earth's Dynamic Form and Forces

Contrary to popular belief, Earth is not a perfect sphere. It's an oblate spheroid, bulging at the equator due to rotation. This equatorial protrusion makes Earth's diameter largest at the equator.

Earth's lithosphere is divided into tectonic plates, which float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere underneath. These plates move about as fast as human fingernails grow, leading to earthquakes, volcanic activity, and mountain-building.

Approximately 300 million years ago, Earth's landmasses were merged into the supercontinent Pangea. Tectonic forces eventually split Pangea, a cycle of supercontinent formation and break-up that has occurred several times over Earth's history.

The world's highest waterfall, Angel Falls, is found in Venezuela's Canaima National Park. The park's unique geography creates constant clouds and rain, sustaining its lush rainforest ecosystem despite less annual rainfall than you might expect.

Beneath Antarctica's ice sheets lies the Gamburtsev Mountain Range. These peaks are as high as the Alps, but completely buried under ice, challenging our understanding of mountain formation in polar regions.

Some islands are the tips of underwater mountains, while others, like the Maldives, are formed by coral atolls and only exist at the water's surface because coral growth outpaces sea-level rise.

Greenland's ice sheet is massive enough to gravity. Satellites have shown that ocean water nearby is denser and slightly elevated due to the gravitational pull of the ice.