The Earth is made out of many things. Deep inside Earth, near its center, lies Earth's core which is mostly made up of nickel and iron. Above the core is Earth's mantle, which is made up of rock containing silicon, iron, magnesium, aluminum, oxygen and other minerals. The rocky surface layer of Earth, called the crust, is made up of mostly oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium. Earth's surface is mainly covered with liquid water and its atmosphere is is mainly nitrogen and oxygen, with smaller amounts of carbon dioxide, water vapor and other gases.
Earth's outer surface is divided into several rigid segments, or tectonic plates, that gradually migrate across the surface over periods of many millions of years. About 71% of the surface is covered with salt-wateroceans, the remainder consisting of continents and islands; liquid water, necessary for all known life, is not known to exist on any other planet's surface. Earth's interior remains active, with a thick layer of relatively solid mantle, a liquid outer core that generates a magnetic field, and a solid iron inner core. Earth interacts with other objects in outer space, including the Sun and the Moon. At present, Earth orbits the Sun once for every roughly 366.26 times it rotates about its axis. Earth's only known natural satellite, the Moon, which began orbiting it about 4.53 billion years ago, provides ocean tides, stabilizes the axial tilt and gradually slows the planet's rotation. A commentary bombardment during the early history of the planet played a role in the formation of the oceans. Later, asteroid impacts caused significant changes to the surface environment.
the earth's composition and structure
Size comparison of inner planets (left to right): Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
Earth is a terrestrial planet, meaning that it is a rocky body, rather than a gas giant like Jupiter. It is the largest of the four solar terrestrial planets, both in terms of size and mass. Of these four planets, Earth also has the highest density, the highest surface gravity and the strongest magnetic field.
Earth
The Earth is made out of many things. Deep inside Earth, near its center, lies Earth's core which is mostly made up of nickel and iron. Above the core is Earth's mantle, which is made up of rock containing silicon, iron, magnesium, aluminum, oxygen and other minerals. The rocky surface layer of Earth, called the crust, is made up of mostly oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium. Earth's surface is mainly covered with liquid water and its atmosphere is is mainly nitrogen and oxygen, with smaller amounts of carbon dioxide, water vapor and other gases.
Earth's outer surface is divided into several rigid segments, or tectonic plates, that gradually migrate across the surface over periods of many millions of years. About 71% of the surface is covered with salt-water oceans, the remainder consisting of continents and islands; liquid water, necessary for all known life, is not known to exist on any other planet's surface. Earth's interior remains active, with a thick layer of relatively solid mantle, a liquid outer core that generates a magnetic field, and a solid iron inner core.
Earth interacts with other objects in outer space, including the Sun and the Moon. At present, Earth orbits the Sun once for every roughly 366.26 times it rotates about its axis. Earth's only known natural satellite, the Moon, which began orbiting it about 4.53 billion years ago, provides ocean tides, stabilizes the axial tilt and gradually slows the planet's rotation. A commentary bombardment during the early history of the planet played a role in the formation of the oceans. Later, asteroid impacts caused significant changes to the surface environment.
the earth's composition and structure
Earth is a terrestrial planet, meaning that it is a rocky body, rather than a gas giant like Jupiter. It is the largest of the four solar terrestrial planets, both in terms of size and mass. Of these four planets, Earth also has the highest density, the highest surface gravity and the strongest magnetic field.