I hope you'll be as amazed as I was on learning these facts. They are really mind blowing.
- The hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 57.8 degrees C (136 degrees F) in Azizia, Libya in 1992.
El Azizia - The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was -89.2 degrees C (-128.6 degrees F), in Antartica's Vostok station.
- The Dead sea, which lies between Jordan, Israel and the West Bank is the lowest point on land.
The Dead Sea - Antartica being an extreme continent contains approximately 90% of the Earth's ice and 70% of Earth's fresh water. Antartica is actually considered a desert, as it receives just 50 mm of precipitation a year, typically as snow.
- Lake explosions may be a strange phenomenon in other parts of the world but they are not uncommon in Africa. Lakes Nyos, Monoun and Kivu are three deadly lakes found in Cameroon, the Rwandan border and in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These are crater lakes sitting atop volcanic earth. Carbon dioxide is released into the lakes by magma that lies below the surface of the lakes. This results in a carbon dioxide rich layer laying right above the lakebed. The carbon dioxide is released during explosions. The concentration of the carbon dioxide is so high that when released can asphyxiate humans and animals.
- The two tallest mountains on Earth are Mount Everest and Mauna Kea. Mount Everest is 8,848 m high (above sea level). Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii stands at 4,207 m above sea level. When measured from its oceanic base, Mauna Kea is over 10,000 m tall making it in reality the tallest mountain on Earth.
Mauna Kea in Hawaii - The Mariana Trench, is the deepest spot on Earth, being the deepest point on the ocean floor - 10,916 m.
- Due to climate change, glaciers are retreating, hence causing a rise in sea levels. The Canadian Arctic, a retreating glacier has contributed to a whooping 10 % of meltwater on Earth. It lost a volume equivalent to 75 % of lake Erie between 2004 and 2009.
- The longest mountain chain is Mid-ocean ridge. This underwater chain of volcanoes spans across 65,000 km and rises 5.5 km above the bottom of the sea.
- Moon quakes exist and can bring about a difference in tides.
- The most active volcano on Earth is the Stromboli Volcano found in Southern Italy. It has erupted continuously for the past 2,000 years. This constant eruption has earned it the nickname "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean".
Stromboli Volcano - The Earth is old. Its age has been calculated by researchers by dating both the oldest rocks and meteorites on the planet. As per their findings, the earth is about 4.54 billion years old.
- The Earth recycles itself. The ground we walk on gets recycled through the cyclical transformation of igneous rocks to sedimentary rocks to metamorphic rocks and back again.
- Did you know that rocks could walk? Perhaps not where you live but they do at Racetrack Playa in Death Valley.
- Coral reefs are the largest living structures on Earth. They support the most species per unit area of the any ecosystem, rivaling rain forests.
- The core of the Earth is almost as hot as the sun.
- According to the WWF (World Wildlife Fund), the Earth has lost 40 % of its wildlife in the past 40 years.
- The Amazon rainforest offers shelter to a third of the Earth's land animals.
The Amazon Rainforest - The Australian Outback is home to Mount Augustus - the largest rock on Earth. It is about 2,352 feet high.
- The densest substance on Earth is osmium.
- The largest and smelliest flower on Earth is the corpse flower. It is native to Sumatra.
- Only 0.0003% of the Earth's water can be used by humans.
- The Atacama Desert is the driest place on the Earth. It is found in Chile.
- The largest living structure on Earth is the Great Barrier Reef found in Australia.
- The Earth isn't round, as a result of centrifugal force pushing outwards at the equator. This one isn't that mind-blowing after all.
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