What Is the Thermosphere? [Infographic]
The thermosphere is the thickest atmospheric layer (80-550 km). It’s known for its aurora borealis, orbiting satellites and the Karman Line (edge of space).
Articles
Did Earth’s First Water Come from Comets, Volcanoes or Asteroids?
2 theories exist for the origin of water on Earth: Did comets transport water? Or was there degassing from volcanoes from rocks existing within the crust?
Banded Iron Formation (BIF): How These Rocks Got Their Stripes
Long ago, oxygen filled the oceans. It mixed with iron which reacted by rusting. The seafloor collected rusted iron called banded iron formation (BIF).
Neptune Facts: The Big Blue Planet [Infographic]
Planet Neptune is the farthest planet from the sun at 4.495 billion kilometers from the sun. Neptune has some remarkable facts like its 14 moons and tilt.
Great Oxygenation Event: How Oxygen Filled the Atmosphere
Over 4 billion years ago, Earth’s atmosphere was mostly methane & nitrogen. The Great Oxygenation Event marks a time when free oxygen filled the atmosphere.
Pangea Fossils: Evidence of the Pangaea Supercontinent
At one point in time, all continents were merged together as one supercontinent “Pangea”. We’ve used fossil evidence to know continental drift exists.
7 Planet Saturn Facts: Beyond its Signature Rings [Infographic]
We all know planet Saturn for its iconic rings. But there’s more facts about Saturn like its weather, Titan and its the lightest planet in the solar system.
Pacific Ring of Fire: Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Plate Tectonics
The Pacific Ring of Fire has the most active chains of volcanoes in the world. This is because tectonic plates collide and sink at these zones of subduction.
What Are the 3 Milankovitch Cycles?
Earth revolves around the sun in a roughly circular orbit. But about every 200,000 years, its orbit becomes more eccentric because of the Milankovitch Cycle.
Divergent Plate Tectonics: Boundaries that Pull Apart
Beneath the oceans, lava erupts every day from mid-oceanic ridges. These divergent plate boundaries pull apart from each other creating new igneous rock.
North American Plate: Tectonic Boundary Map and Movements
The North American plate extends all the way over the North pole to Siberia. It also includes Greenland, Cuba, the Bahamas and part of the Atlantic Ocean.
10 Colossal Facts About the Gas Giant Planet Jupiter [Infographic]
The gas giant known as Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. Other interesting facts include its 79 moons, weather patterns and huge auroras.
Why Watersheds Are Like Upside-Down Umbrellas
When it rains, water zig-zags all the way through a tributary system to a river or lake. Like an upside-down umbrella, a watershed catches all rain water.
What Causes Ocean Tides?
When the moon is close to Earth, its gravitational pull stretches the side it’s facing. Because oceans hold a set amount of water, levels rise in one area.
How Was the Grand Canyon Formed?
Like a stack of pancakes, younger rock layers pile on top of older layers. We use the law of superposition to reveal Earth’s age and Grand Canyon geology.