The Earth Inside and Out

Over the past several decades, scientists have made many discoveries about the interior and exterior of the Earth. For millennia, Humans believed that the Earth was flat or that the Sun revolves around the Earth. These assumptions could not be further from the truth. Using geometry and scientific instruments the nature of our Solar System and the structure of the Earth has become evident. There are 8 major planets orbiting the Sun, our nearest star. The planets are named in the following order: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Uranus, Neptune.

Currently, none of the other planets are habitable for life as we understand it here on Earth. This fact is what makes Earth unique. Temperature, atmospheric composition, atmospheric pressure, magnetosphere, water, and other requirements all have to be met to sustain life. No other known planet has the same characteristics as Earth, and as a result, other planets can not sustain life. More specifically speaking, other planets are very inhospitable to life i.e. too hot, too cold, radiation, low or high atmospheric pressure, lack of oxygen or water, and etc. The amount of distress that the properties of other planets would inflict on the human body would be extreme. Death would be certain on any planet aside from the Earth.

The Structure of the Earth, at its most basic level, could be summarized in 4 major zones. First, the Earth has a dense Core. The Core is made up of heavier elements and is under an enormous amount of heat and pressure. The magnetic charge of the core creates a magnetosphere around the Earth, thus shielding us from solar, cosmic, and galactic radiation.

Magnetosphere

Next, the region just outside of the Core is called the Mantle. In the Mantle you have molten rock called Magma. Magma swirls around in the interior of the Earth and is the driving force behind plate tectonics, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes. The third layer of the Earth is the Crust. The entire Earth is covered by a dried layer of rock called the Crust. Occasionally Magma will spill through the Crust becoming Lava. Finally, the Earth is surrounded by an Atmosphere. The Atmosphere is an ocean of gas (air) that is made up of a specific recipe which supports life. For example, the 21% of Oxygen in our atmosphere allows animals to breathe and sustain metabolic processes. Too little Oxygen we couldn't breathe, whereas too much Oxygen would become flammable. There are other molecules in the Atmosphere, such as Carbon Dioxide, which supports plant growth.