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Location and Orbit
Atmosphere
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Surface to Core
Plate Tectonics
The Moon
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The Green Planet Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove has been hallowed by some fond memory or some sad experience...even the rocks...thrill with memories of past events connected with the lives of my people. -- Chief Seattle "On the Red Man's Trail" |
The third planet from the Sun, Earth is the only planet known to harbor life. Formed approximately 4.65 billion years ago, Earth soon acquired a new atmosphere and also primitive aquatic life forms. These microscopic beings produced oxygen through photosynthesis, eventually creating an environment that would allow a wide range of organisms to develop, including Man, the only animal capable of abstract thought. This thought expresses itself in many ways, including the exploration of the farthest reaches of space, from interplanetary space probes to galazy-spanning telescopes to general purpose Internet webpages. This section, however, will mainly focus on the Earth's physical structure, from the atmosphere down to the central core. Plate tectonic theory, which helps to explain much about the planetary topology, will be featured, as will our unique magnetic field.
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Diameter: 12,756.28 km Density: 5,515 kg/m3 Period of Revolution about Sun: 1 Year (365.256 Days) Orbital Inclination: 0o Orbital Eccentricity: 0.0167 |
Location and Orbit Atmosphere Magnetism Surface to Core Plate Tectonics The Moon References & Links Quiz |