The Earth

The Earth is our planet. It is a giant ball of solids, liquids and gases spinning in space around the Sun. The Earth is the only planet where life exists. This is made possible because of the light and heat it receives from Sun. Large oceans of water cover most of the Earth's surface. A blanket of air called the atmosphere surrounds the Earth. Air, Water and the Heat and Light provided by the Sun supports life on Earth. If we look at Earth from space, we can see swirling white patterns made by clouds in the atmosphere. Our planet Earth rotates on its own axis and revolves around the Sun. Rotation makes days and nights, while revolution causes weather changes. The rocky surface on the Earth is called the crust. This crust is made up of many different types of rocks such as Sandstone, Limestone, Marble, Granite etc. Under this crust is a layer called the Mantle. Its outer core consists of very hot runny metal, while the inner core is made up of solid metal. The solid inner core is the hottest part of the Earth. The Earth's rigid crust and the firm upper layer of the mantle, the lithosphere, which is about 100 kilometres thick. The lithosphere plates move and change shape, driven by the incredible heat, pressure and movement in the mantle. The surface of Earth keeps constantly changing. Over millions of years rocks buckle into mountains, and great continents drift around the globe. Volcanoes erupt and earthquakes split landscape, when parts of the Earth's crust push against each other or move apart. Daily weather patterns change over sea and land.