The word earth, etymologically comes from Latin roots, particularly from the entry "terra". Mainly we understand by Earth the place that all living beings inhabit. The earth, when we refer to the planet, is the third in the solar system that is distanced from the sun by about 150 million kilometers and formed at the same time as this and the rest of the solar system, it is spoken of around 4.570 million years, that also until now is the only planet in the solar system where any life has been proven.
What is land
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The concept of earth is used to define the planet that living beings inhabit, it is located in the solar system, being in third place with respect to the sun, after the planets Mercury and Venus. The planet earth has two types of movement, one is the annual translation, which completes its cycle every 365 days, the second movement is the daily rotation, where the planet rotates on its own axis. It is also worth mentioning that it has a unique natural satellite, the Moon. To date, Earth is the only planet where the development of life has been verified.
Another definition of land that is also frequently used is one that describes those areas of the planet that are free of water, which are roughly grouped into 6 contingents, which are, Asia, Europe, America, Oceania, Africa and Antarctica. In the same way, it is the term used to refer to the organic matter that makes up the soil, being its main element and usually the most superficial layer, used for cultivation, among other things.
The origin of the earth
The origin of planet Earth can be traced more than 4.55 billion years ago, while life on it arose almost a thousand years after its formation. It is home to billions of species, among which human beings stand out, to date it is the only place where the existence and development of life has been proven.
Both its atmosphere and certain abiotic conditions have been significantly modified by the planet's own biosphere, greatly collaborating with the development of aerobic organisms, in addition to the formation of the ozone layer, which with the help of the magnetic field of the earth, they are responsible for blocking the harmful rays of the sun, thus allowing life on the planet.
Both the geological history, as well as the physical properties and the orbit, are elements that have contributed to the survival of life even on earth. Experts consider that life on the planet could be sustained even for more than 500 million years, since according to forecasts, after that time, the luminosity of the sun will increase and cause the extinction of the biosphere.
It is important to note that both the earth and the solar system have the same origin. What is now known as the solar system was originally just a fusion of rotating rocks, dust, and gas. Made up of hydrogen and helium that were produced from the Big Bang, it also contained heavier elements that were produced by so-called supernovae.
Scientists claim that the formation of the earth occurs after a nearby star went supernova, causing an explosion that would send an expansive wave to the so-called protosolar nebula, which would increase the angular momentum. After the nebula began to increase its rotation, inertia and gravity, it assumed a flat shape, giving rise to what is known as a planetary disk.
Most of the mass was concentrated in its center, at the same time that temperatures began to rise, however, due to angular momentum disturbances and collisions caused by the large amount of debris produced, protoplanets began to form.. All of this caused an increase in gravity and spin speed, which produced a large amount of kinetic energy at the center.
The impediment of being able to transfer that energy to another process, caused the temperature of the center of the disk to increase again. Finally, a nuclear fusion of helium and hydrogen took place, and after their contraction it would transform into what is called the T Tauri star.
The gravity that was generated due to the condensation of matter, which had previously been held back by the sun's own gravity, caused the dust particles and the rest of the disk to begin to fragment into rings.
For their part, the larger fragments collided, giving rise to other larger fragments, which in the end would be the ones that would give rise to the protoplanets. Within this group there was one that was located approximately 150 million kilometers from the center, which corresponds to planet Earth.
"> Loading…An interesting fact is that in ancient times it was believed that the earth had different shapes than what is known today, which led to the emergence of different models of the earth, among which we can highlight the flat earth model, a theory which was present during the Middle Ages, other models of the earth were also the cylindrical earth, among others. On the web it is possible to find images of the flat and cylindrical earth.
Currently there is a day in which homage is paid to the planet, this date is known as Earth Day and is celebrated every April 22. Earth Day was created with the aim of raising awareness about the problems that affect the planet, such as overpopulation, global warming, etc.
The formation of the earth
Earth as it is known today looks completely different from what it did when it originated more than 4.5 billion years ago. By then it was just a cluster of rocks, the interior of which raised its temperature and ended up melting the entire planet.
As the years went by, the crust dried up and became solid, the water was deposited in the lower areas, while a layer of gases formed on the crust of the earth, which is known as the Earth's atmosphere.
Over time, both the water, the land and the air began to interact in a notorious way, since while the lava arose in large quantities through the different cracks in the crust, the activity on the planet was enriched and transformed.
Characteristics of the land
It is shaped like a sphere, which rotates on its own axis and at the same time revolves around the sun. The axis of rotation of the planet maintains a constant inclination with respect to the solar orbit, and consequently the changes of seasons on the planet occur. Another characteristic of the earth is that it has a peculiar composition and size, a gravity field and a magnetic force that make it truly unique in its kind.
Earth movements
It is one of the most important characteristics of La tierra, since it has three characteristic displacements, which are rotation, translation and obliquity.
Rotation
Of the three movements of the earth, this is the one that allows it to rotate around its same axis, with a West-East direction, said movement takes exactly 23 hours and 56 minutes and 45 seconds. This cycle is the one that gives rise to both day and night, since it is in charge of alternating between the hidden face and the sunset.
Translation
Another of the movements of the earth is the translation, it is the orbit of the earth around the Sun has an approximate perimeter of 930 million kilometers, rotating at a speed of 108 thousand kilometers per hour. This means that a complete return to the orbit of the sun takes about 364 days, 5 hours and 48 minutes and 45 seconds. Time which is often referred to as the year.
Obliquity
The planet has an inclination on its elliptical plane of approximately 23 °, being responsible for giving rise to the seasons of the year, since it moves the sun away from and closer to certain latitudes of the planet, said movement is reduced by about 0.47 per year.
"> Loading…Its atmosphere
Another feature of the earth is the layer of gases that surround it and that becomes thinner as it moves away from the earth's surface, although it is possible to find air more than 500 km above the surface, it is possible It is worth mentioning that at a distance of 160 km above the earth, the air is already quite scarce, to the point that the satellites orbit with minimal reasoning problems.
A fact about that has been verified thanks to the satellites is that the upper part of the atmosphere expands during the day, and contracts again at night, this is caused by the heating and cooling effect respectively.
For its part, the lowest area of the atmosphere is called the troposphere, inside it internal movements are constantly formed, this occurs due to the effect of sunlight when striking the earth's surface, which is why hot air rises, then it cools down and descends again, giving rise to the constant climatic changes that are analyzed in the specialized meteorological centers.
On the troposphere, about 50 km above the earth's crust, the stratosphere is located, in this part the so-called ozone layer is located, which is responsible for preventing the majority of ultraviolet rays from reaching the earth's surface.
Ozone is an element whose main characteristic is that it has three oxygen atoms, this molecule has the ability to absorb ultraviolet radiation, however it is quite prone to merge with other elements, such as fluorine and chlorine. It is for this reason that the chlorinated gases derived from pollution can contribute to the deterioration of the ozone layer.
How big is the earth
The planet earth has an equatorial circumference of 40,091 km, with a diameter of 12,756 km and its mass is 5,973 x 1024.
Moon
The Moon is the natural satellite of the earth, it is a terrestrial body, which has an approximate diameter of ¼ that of the earth, being the second satellite in terms of the size of the solar system, only surpassed by the satellite Charon, of the planet Pluto. For their part, those satellites that orbit the other planets are called the Moon, referring to the Moon of the Earth.
On the other hand, the attraction by gravity of the Moon and the Earth, is what causes the tides in the seas, this effect is also reflected in the moon, giving rise to the tidal coupling, this is when the period of translation and rotation is similar around the planet.
As the moon orbits the Earth, different parts of its face are illuminated by the sun, giving way to the so-called lunar phases. The dark part of the face is separated from the illuminated face of the so-called solar terminator.
Due to tidal interactions, the Moon moves away from the Earth at a speed of 38 mm per year, if this data is taken into account, for millions of years, that small distance also added to the lengthening of the Earth's day in 23µs, they have been reason to cause important changes.
During the Devonian, which took place about 400 million years ago, the year consisted of 400 days and each day lasted 21.8 hours. On the web it is possible to find images of the earth and the moon where the distance between one and the other and the rotation cycle are detailed.
"> Loading…What are the imaginary lines of the earth for
Both the parallels and the meridians are imaginary lines of the earth.They are responsible for segmenting the earth from North to South and from East to West, these lines help human beings to be able to locate themselves and in turn to find a point on the surface of the land.
Parallel
The parallel 0 ° is the Equator, it divides the earth into two hemispheres, the boreal hemisphere or northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere or southern hemisphere. Any point that is located on the same parallel has a similar distance to the Equator.
The tropics, on the other hand, are imaginary lines of the earth with a horizontal direction that segment the climatic zones of the earth, in the northern region the tropic of Cancer is located, while to the south is the tropic of Capricorn.
Meridians
The Greenwich meridian is the 0 ° meridian, which is called this way because of the fact that it crosses the town that bears the same name. As it moves east or west, the degrees increase, until it reaches the meridian opposite Greenwich, which is known as the antimeridian. Both the Greenwich meridian and the antimeridian divide the earth into the western hemisphere and the eastern hemisphere.
Composition of the earth
Internally the earth is structured by three concentric layers, each with different dynamics and composition, these are the crust, the mantle and finally the nucleus, together they form the so-called geosphere or also called solid earth, it should be clarified that this is according to the geostatic model.
According to Aristotelian physics, geosphere is a term that could be applied to four natural and spherical places, which are located concentrically around the earth, as described by Aristotle in his studies of meteorology and physics, in which he explains the movements of the ancient four elements (earth, water, fire and air).
Elements that compose it
The structure of the earth can be established taking into account two criteria, the first is according to its chemical composition, in this case the planet could be divided into crust, mantle and core. While according to the second criterion, which are the geological properties and the geodynamic model, it can be divided into lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesosphere and nucleus.
Layers of the Earth
Taking into account the above, the structural classification of the earth is somewhat controversial, since there are those who indicate that there are three layers of the earth, while there are others who point out the existence of five or even six layers of the earth.
However, it is important to note that the most accepted division is that of the three internal layers of the earth, core, crust and mantle. At the same time there is an inner core and an outer core both located under the earth, as well as an inner mantle and an outer mantle. Each of these parts has a different pressure and temperature.
External nucleus
Another layer of the earth is the outer core, it is made up of iron and nickel and its temperatures are quite high (4500 to 5000C °). This temperature allows the iron and nickel to maintain a constant liquid state.
The outer core is of great importance for the planet, since through it what is known as a magnetic field is created, this field goes into outer space and creates a kind of protective barrier for the planet, which prevents the solar waves penetrate directly to the earth.
Inner core
This, like the external one, is made up of iron and nickel, however they have certain differences from each other. It is found deep underground within the planet that the pressure to which it is subjected is incredible, to a point such that despite the extreme temperatures, its state is completely solid. It should be noted that the inner core is the hottest part of the planet Earth and with more than 5 thousand C ° it can become as hot as the solar surface.
Mantle
This layer makes up more than 80% of the total mass of the planet, this is proven with its 2,800 kilometers thick, data offered by the Academy of Natural Sciences of the state of California. This layer, like the nucleus, has an internal and an external part.
The inner portion is made up mostly of magnesium in the form of silicate rocks and iron. Due to its depth, this region has not been able to be studied in depth. However, it should be noted that various stories related to this element have emerged, such as the trip to the center of the earth written by Jules Verne and published in 1964.
Cortex
Of all the internal layers of the earth mentioned above, the crust is the one that is located more towards the surface, compared to the others it is relatively thin and its state is solid, due to these characteristics it is also considered one of the most fragile, since that it can be broken relatively easily and the consequences of this are already known by most, a clear example being earthquakes.
The earthquakes have their origin in the release of energy that originates inside the earth, the seismic waves cause the fragments of crust to collide and generate sudden tremors.
Earth as an economic term
Within the field of economics, the concept of land refers to all natural resources that are characterized by having their supply inherently fixed, which means that they do not change as a result of price variations in the markets.
Within this group of can include the lands themselves, which are defined according to the geographical location on the surface of the planet, also include mineral deposits in the subsoil, locations in geostationary orbit and a segment of the spectrum electromagnetic.
In ancient times it was seen as one of the three elements of production, accompanied by work and capital, for its part the remuneration that originates from the control of the land or property, or failing that of the natural resources that will be found. there, it was called land rent.
Land, to be more specific, geographical locations with special agricultural, forestry and livestock value, mining deposits and other similar elements, have been the cause of various conflicts of a political, social and military nature.
Types of land
The types of land can be very varied, among the different types of land they can mention silty, sandy, peat soils, among others. Knowing the characteristics of each one of them is especially important in areas such as agriculture, since according to the type of soil, plans for planting crops can be drawn up, it should also be taken into account that there are soils with greater vulnerability to the drought or pollution.
Sandy soils
Of the types of earth, this one has large parts compared to the rest, it is characterized by being rough and dry, this is because the particles that form it are very separated from each other, avoiding keeping the water, it is say that the water is drained quickly. For agriculture this type of soil is not recommended, since it does not have the necessary nutrients to carry out this activity. A point in favor of this type of soil is the ability to retain temperature, so during cold seasons, it manages to stay warmer than the rest.
Limestone soils
They are characterized by containing a large amount of calcareous salts, they generally have a white coloration, arid and dry characteristics, the rocks that abound in these soils are limestone type, being so hard it is not recommended to work agriculture in them, since the plants will not be able to absorb their nutrients correctly. Despite this, in this type of soil it is possible to find trees such as pomegranate, almond, fig and citrus, as they have the ability to withstand these conditions.
Silty soils
They are composed of smaller and softer parts than sandy soil, silty soils have the quality of conserving water for longer, therefore it also retains nutrients. It has a brown color and is composed of a fusion between clay and fine sand that gives rise to a kind of mud together with the mud and the vegetables. In general, this type of soil can be found in the beds of rivers, they have a great capacity for fertility due to their great excess of nutrients and humidity.
Humid or black earth soils
Soils that contain decomposed organic material are so called. In this type of soils you can find microorganisms that can be very useful for agriculture, in this way they become the preferred ones to develop sowing or other agricultural activities. They are also called black earth soils, since by containing elements that derive from the decomposition of the earth, their coloration is dark. They also have the ability to absorb water in an ideal way, increasing its humidity and contributing to the tonality.
Clay soils
They are made up of small yellow grains, made up of 45% clay and are characterized by retaining water and forming puddles, if mixed with humus it can be good for growing, as well as having the capacity to keep water, it also has it retain nutrients, however its low porosity makes it difficult to grow in it, since the texture and viscosity make the roots do not have good ventilation and end up dying.
What can you do for the land
It is likely that you have already heard the term climate change and the dramatic increase in gases such as ozone and carbon dioxide, which generate changes in the natural balance of the atmosphere, well, this great problem is the work of human beings, and it is he who can and must stop with this imbalance. Here is a small list of actions that you can do for the earth and that will contribute greatly to preserving the planet.
- Encourage the use of the three “Rs” (reuse, reduce and recycle, applying this can greatly reduce the generation of garbage and improve its management.
- Reduce electricity consumption and take care of water, it is recommended to turn off lights that are not being used, avoid leaks, try to make the most of sunlight, among other resources.
- Another action that you can do for the earth is to plant trees, they are one of the most important sources of oxygen on the planet, in addition to controlling floods and preventing soil erosion, not to mention that they serve as a refuge for animals.
So if you have wondered what you can do for the earth, just by following these tips, you will be contributing greatly to the preservation of life.
