Fun facts about planet Earth
Kids Learning,  Space Learning,  Stars & Planets

5 Fun Facts To Teach Kids About Planet Earth

We list 5 interesting fun facts you need to teach your kids about planet earth. All the facts listed below are based on scientific research. But even with the backing of scientific evidence, some of these amazing facts can be so hard to believe.

#1 – Planet Earth Spins On It’s Axis At Over 1000 Miles Per Hour

It’s hard to believe that this planet we live on is spinning around at over 1000 miles per hour. If you were located on earth’s equatorial belt that is the speed you would be rotating. You see, our planet rotates on an axis, this is an imaginary line that runs from the North pole to the South pole.

One full rotation takes just under 24 hours, in other words, it’s one full day. It is the reason we experience daylight during the day and darkness at night.

But we do not experience any feeling of motion, as everything inside our atmosphere is moving in the same direction, air, water, land, even people and buildings.

Fun fact: If for some crazy reason planet earth’s rotation came to a complete sudden stop, movable objects like people, cars and animals, would be violently tossed huge distances in the direction the earth is rotating. Even fixed structures like buildings would collapse.

#2 – Earth’s Core Generates A Magnetic Field Which In Turn Protects Our Planet

Back billions of years when earth was forming, an unimaginable number of Asteroids, Comets and Meteorites rained down on earth from space. Their impacts generated incredible heat causing the planet to form oceans of molten liquid. Heavy elements like Iron and Nickel sank all the way to the earth’s core, while lighter elements that make up rocks remained on the surface and eventually formed the earth’s crust.

As the earth rotates it causes the outer core, (still in the form of molten liquid and made up of iron and nickel) to react in such a manner that it produces electric currents, these electric currents actually generate earth’s magnetic field. By doing so, earth has created a shield which protects us, as our magnetic field blocks harmful solar radiation from space.

Fun Fact: Did you know, the earth’s core is as hot as the surface of our sun?

#3 – Earth’s natural wonders – Volcanic Eruptions

Volcanic Eruption

Mother nature can be ferocious at times, she displays incredible power through many different forms. Most of these displays involve volatile weather conditions but here we discuss one very unique way – Volcanic eruptions.

Earth is made up of 4 main layers, the Crust, the Mantle, the Outer Core and the Inner Core.

When water from our Ocean’s seep down to the mantle through cracks in the rock, it lowers the temperature of the melting point which results in the creation of Magma.

A force called Magmastatic Pressure begins pushing the magma up towards the crust but the weight of earth’s crust fights back using a force called Lithostatic Pressure, this prevents an eruption.

Eventually, high pressure gas bubbles form, increasing the magmastatic pressure. Once these bubbles reach the surface a violent eruption occurs.

But eruptions occur for other reasons too.

Parts of the earth’s crust responsible for Lithostatic Pressure, like mountains sometimes suffer devastating catastrophic landslides. This results in less weight pushing downwards meaning the magma forces its way to the surface causing eruptions.

Fun Fact: There are estimated to be 1350 potentially active volcanos on earth. Volcano observatories monitor volcanic activity in a number of different countries, they warn the public in advance of any possible eruptions.

#4 – Highest Height To The Lowest Low On Planet Earth

The distance between the highest and lowest known point of earth measures 12.3 miles.

Mount Everest located on the China – Nepal border is the highest mountain in the world. This giant mountain has an elevation of almost 9000m. Its peak is close to the average cruising altitude of a passenger airliner.

The oxygen level at this altitude is approximately one third of that at sea level, making it impossible to breath without the aid of breathing apparatus.

The deepest known point of earth is known as ‘Challenger Deep’. It was discovered by the British in 1875, a crew aboard the ship – H.M.S Challenger were tasked with mapping the Ocean floor.

While sailing the Western parts of the Pacific Ocean, the crew discovered the ‘Mariana Trench’. It measures approximately 2550km in length. Located at the southern end is Challenger Deep. Almost 11000m below sea level, the pressure here is so extreme that only specially designed submersible ships are capable of reaching such a depth.   

Fun Fact: The World Record for the deepest scuba dive is just over 332m. That’s around 3% the depth of Challenger Deep.

#5 – Why is Earth’s Atmosphere So Important?

Our Atmosphere plays an incredible role in supporting life on planet earth.  

It is responsible for providing air for us to breathe. It is made up of gases like Nitrogen 78% and Oxygen 21% with the other 1% made up of Argon and Carbon Dioxide.

The atmosphere insulates and provides a stable surface temperature by absorbing heat from the sun during the day and trapping it, if this didn’t occur, earth would be nice and warm during the day but temperatures would plummet well below freezing at night.  

It protects us from outer space by shielding earth from ultraviolet rays from the sun. It also destroys small objects from space like comets and meteorites. These objects disintegrate after entering earth’s atmosphere. Pressure becomes so great, much more than the strength of the actual object itself, causing it to break up.  

The atmosphere also allows water to travel all around earth in the form of rain clouds. Water on the earth’s surface evaporates into water vapour which rises up and forms parts of a cloud. Clouds are blown all around the earth by high winds. These clouds eventually return the water to earth’s surface in the form of rain.

Fun Fact: Scientists believe our atmosphere formed billions of years ago, from gases which were released by volcanic eruptions.