Analysis Of Our Planet Earth

Analysis Of Our Planet creationExploreThe satellite nation is one of the nine satellites in the solar arranging and the simply cognise planet to harbor life and the home of human beings. From the quarrel of Neil Armstrong, one of the astronauts of the famous Apollo 11, the priming from space resembles a big unforgiving marble with swirling white clouds floating above blue oceans. About 71 percent of the body politics approach is pass acrossed with irrigate and the rest is discharge, get only in the form of absolutes that rise above the oceans.Origin of the EarthThe reason has a unique characteristic that is suited to supporting life. It is n each too impatient similar planet Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, nor too cold alike planet Mars.For thousands of long time, human being could only wonder somewhat the humankind and other observ able-bodied planets in the solar system. numerous ideas such as the earth was a sphere and that it travelled around t he Sun were frame on brilliant reasoning. It was on the breeding of scientific method specially in the 18th and 19th centuries, that human beings began to gather data that could be utilize to verify theories just nearly the earth and the rest of the solar system.In the second half(prenominal) of the 20th century, more advances in the study of the earth and the solar system occurred be energize of the development of disceptationets that could send spacecrafts beyond Earth. Human beings were able to study and observe Earth from space and satellites equipped with scientific instruments. Scientists make up studied the solar system and tried to exempt how it was organize. Billions of people atomic number 18 wondering how the huge, lively planet came to be. in that location argon many disparate theories trying to give explanation of how our home planet came to be. One of the roughly popular theories of the planets origin is that of Gods creation. many an(prenominal) rel igious group as swell up as scientists, embrace the stamp that God created the universe and the different step motivating material and indispensable development and that these steps then de bring outed in the formation of the galaxies, the solar system and existence of the earth. This theory is known as Theistic evolution or as evolutionary creationism. This theory holds the whimsy that God exceeds common time and space, with nature having no survival self-sufficing of Gods will.The Theistic Evolution Theory poses many questions that can never be answered directly. The sources available argon books written by humans. more or less accepted belief is the theory of creation in the book of Genesis in the overaged Testament. This popular theory states that God created the universe in six long time .The Bible offers no evidence to prove the story rather it relies on the faith of the believers to accept it as truth.A nonher popular belief is the boastful Bang Theory. This theory supports the idea that the universe came about due to a colossal explosion. According to the theory, the universe goes through a tremendously steep speed rise that expands at heart a fraction of a second. Then, the unwarranted heat of electrons and other particles mix. As atoms and particles charge, still fundamentally hot, they prevent light-headed from shining, creating a sweltering hot fog. Eventually, the electrons merge with additional particles to structure atoms of heat content and helium, causing light to at last shine. Giant clouds argon soon make by the hydrogen and helium gases. Weighty elements that ar not clustered together ar thrown into space to form boosters and planets. other theory is developed by Immanuel Kant and given scientific form by Pierre Simon Laplace at the end of 18th century. It is known as the cloudlike Theory. It was assumed that the solar system in its first state was a nebula, a hot, slowly rotating mass of r ar matter, which slackly cooled and contracted, the rotation decent more rapid, in turn giving nebula a insipidtened disk-like avatar .In time, rings of gaseous matter became separated from the outer part of the disk, until the purposeless nebula at the center was surrounded by a series of rings. step forward of the material of each ring a great ball was formed, which by shrinking eventually became a planet. The mass at the center of the system condensed to form the insolatebathe.Encounter or collision theories, in which a fighter passes a close by or actually collides with the sun, try to explain the distri exactlyion of angular momentum. According to the Planetisimal theory, developed by Thomas Chamberlin and tone Ray Moulton, in the early part of 20th century, a star passed close to the sun. Huge tides were raised on the surface and whatever of these erupted matters were lacerated free, and by a cross pull from the star, were thrust bodies skirted planetesimals. As their orbits crossed, the mammoth bodies grew by absorbing the planetisimals, thus becoming planets.The Gaseous Tidal Theory, proposed by James Jeans and Harold Jeffreys in 1918, is a variation of the planetesimal concept. It suggests that a huge tidal wave, raised on the sun by a force of tee getness of a passing star, was drawn into a long filament and became quarantined from the principal mass. As the stream of gaseous material condensed, it separated into muckle of variant sizes, which by further condensation took the form of a planet. The propulsive Encounter Theory of Georges Buffon states that the world was formed out of molten materials from the sun that collided with other planets.According to the Solar Disruption Theory by Georges-Louis Leclerc, the sun and a big star al closely collided in space, which made some parts of the sun burst. The pieces formed became planets.Composition and Structure of the EarthGeologists change integrity the earth into three main zones hydrosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere.Hydrosphere consists of the bodies of weewee system that covers 71 percent of the earths surface. The largest of these atomic number 18 the oceans, which as genuine over 97 percent of all water system on Earth. Glaciers and polar chalk caps contain over 2 percent of earths water in the form of unfluctuating methamphetamine. Only about 0.6 is under the surface as groundwater. Groundwater is 36 times more plentiful than water found in lakes, in trim seas rivers, and in the atmosphere as water vapor. Most of the water in glacier, lakes in cut seas, rivers and groundwater is fresh and can be used for drinking and in agriculture.The atmosphere is the great blanket of gases that surrounds the earth. It is ar windd in five layers troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and exosphere.Lithosphere indicates to all of the earth, from its surface to its center. The earth contains three regions crust, mantle, and core. encrustation is the outermost layer of the earth. The crust consists of the simples, and other body politic sports stadiums and the basins or write up of the oceans. It has an average thickness of 25 myocardial infarct.Mantle is about 800 miles thick of solid silicate flap. Core contains iron and nickel whose outer core is liquid and the familiar core is solid.Changes on the Earths Surface ring and actHow forces inside the earth create and change commonwealthforms? Earths surface has been constantly changing ever since the planet was formed. Most of these changes have been taking place slowly over millions of age. These gradual changes resulted in modifications including the formation, erosion, re-formation of mess ranges, the propelment of continents, the creation of super continents and the break-up of littler continents.There be factors responsible for the changes in the earths surface. These argonWeathering. Weathering is the breakdown of gem at and near the surface of the Earth. Most rocks originally formed in a hot, luxuriously pressure environment below the surface where in that location was little water. Once the rock reached earths surface they were subjected to temperature changes and expand to water. When rocks are subjected to these kinds of conditions, the minerals they contain tend to change. These changes constitute the process of prevailing. There are two types of weathering somatogenic weathering and chemical weathering. physical weathering intromits a decrease in the size of rock materials. Freezing and thawing of water in rock countries for example, splits rocks into small pieces because water expands when it freezes. chemical weathering involves a chemical change in the composition of rock. Chemical weathering is all crucial(p) to man because it creates the clay minerals that are important component of terra firma, which is the priming for agriculture. corrosion. Erosion is the process that removes bring out and weathitherd rock and carries it to a freshly site. Water, wind, and glacial ice combined with the force of gravity can cause erosion.Soil erosion and gullying in the upper Panuco basin, Sierra Madre Oriental, east Mexico come back and ExplainWhy is erosion dangerous? Erosion by speed water is the most common process of erosion. When water moves downhill, it can station loose rocks or soil with it. The force of the running water removes loose particles formed by weathering. In the process, gullies and valleys are aloofnessened, widened, and deepen. The Grand Canyon of the carbon monoxide River is an example of the eroding power of water. Over a million years the Colorado River has cut a canyon that is more than 1 mile deep. The Nile River of Egypt, for example, brings rich soil from the mountains and spreads it along its banks. Because of this, the Nile Valley is one of the most fertile eye sockets in the world. It is the only part of Egypt where crops can grow, a reason wherefore Egypt was known as The Gift of Nile. On the other h and, the Huang Ho or Yellow River in spousal relationshipwestern chinaware often overflows its banks and floods farms and homes. Over the years Huang Ho has done so much damage that people shout out this river Chinas Sorrow.Erosion can also occur as glacier, or large bodies of ice, move across the surface of the earth. As they move, glaciers change the land destroying forests, cut out valleys, altering the course of the rivers and wearing down mountaintops.Wind is an important cause of erosion only in arid or dry regions. Wind carries sand and dirt, which can scour even solid rock. Erosion caused by wind can either cooperate or transgress people. The plains of Northern China for example, have a thick, rich type of soil that is carried by winds blowing from the deserts far to the west. This soil allows farmers in Northern China to raise great amount of wheat and other food crops. phone and ExplainHow do you account todays flash floods to soil erosion?Many factors determine the rate and kind of erosion that occurs in a certain area. Then climate of a given area determines the distribution, amount, and kind of hurry that the area receives, thus, the type and rate of weathering. An area with an arid climate erodes otherwise than the area with a humid(prenominal) climate. The elevation of an area also plays an important role by determining the potential energy of running water. The high(prenominal) the elevation, the more water will flow due to the force of gravity. abode Tectonics.Think and ExplainHow do scientists predict when and where earthquakes may occur? resistance the leveling is a force responsible for raising mountains, and plateaus and for creating new land masses. These changes on earth surface occur in the outermost solid per centum of Earth, known as lithosphere. The lithosphere consists of the crust and another region known as the upper mantle. Scientists believe that the lithosphere is broken into a series of plates, or segments. Accordi ng to the theory of plate tectonics, these plates move around on earths surface over long periods of time. These plates move in different ship canal in relation to each other.They pull apart or move away from each other, they collide or move against each other, or they slide past each other as they move sideways. These frisson movements of the earth called earthquakes explain geological occurrences such as volcanic eruptions, as well as mountain building and the formation of oceans and continents.Yale Peabody Museum/www.peabody.yale.edu/platetectonics/authorEarths Physical FeaturesEarths FeaturesThe natural induces of the earths land surfaces are called landforms. These features are used to describe and help people to locate specific places. greaseformsThink and ExplainWhy is the earth the only planet for man?Landforms are defined as the natural physical features found on the surface of the earth. Landforms are created as a result of the various forces of nature such as wind, wate r and ice and also by the movement of the earths tectonic plates. Due to these actions, the soil gets scoured and deposited somewhere far from the site of erosion, thus leads to the formation of different landforms. some landforms are created in a matter of few hours others take millions of years to appear. A group of landforms in a particular area is called its landscape.Geographers and geologists refer to four major landforms. Large flat mainly grassy areas are the plains. Lands with elevations more than 1,000 feet above the surrounding areas are called mountains. Hills are marvellous land masses that are less than 1,000 feet above their surroundings. plateaus are flat elevated areas perched amid 300 to 3,000 feet high. Minor landforms include buttes, canyons, valleys and basins.Think and RespondHow do forces inside the earth create and change landforms? These major landforms were formed as a result of tectonic activity, or earthquakes. some other landforms are the result of volcanic eruptions. In fact, mountains that were formed by tectonic activity are called fold mountains, while those formed by volcanic eruptions are called volcanic mountains. Still other landforms resulted from the effects of weathering, erosion and the movement of glaciers.Think and RespondHow did bodies of water such as rivers and seas affect societies? Mountains are perhaps the most noticeable of the major landforms and are found on every continent, as well as beneath the ocean. The highest mountain is Mount Everest in the Himalayas at 29,028 feet. The largest mountain, by volume, is Hawaiis Maono Loa. The agelong chain of mountains is the Mid ocean Range. Both east wind Island in the Pacific Ocean and Iceland are member power primes of this range.More than half of the earths surface is covered by plains like the rally Plains of the coupled States and the plains in tocopherolern China. Some plains that continue to grow in surface area are the deltas that form by land carr ied in the current and deposited at the mouths of major rivers. The largest deltas are the Nile River Delta, Mississippi River Delta and Rhone River Delta.Plateaus account for about 30 percent of the earths surface. They are elevations that terminate in flat lands. Some people call them tablelands because of their shape. There are often layers of both hard and soft rock in a plateau. These landforms were caused when the earths crust was forced upward.Types and Characteristic Features of LandformsThere are many types of landforms on the earths surface. Each landform is characterized by its slope, elevation, soil and rock type, stratification and orientation. Some of the common types of landforms and their characteristics are the followingMountains Mountains are areas, which are higher than the surrounding areas and are characterized by a peak, e.g. The Himalayas. Surprisingly, they are more often present in the oceans than in land. A mountain is steeper than a hill. Mountains are f ormed due the tectonic movement such as an earthquake or a volcanic eruption. A few are resulted due to erosion of the surrounding areas by the action of wind, water or ice.Plateaus Plateaus are large highland flat areas separated from the surrounding areas by a steep slope, e.g. The Tibetan plateau. Plateaus are formed due to various actions such as collision of the earths tectonic plates, uplift of the earths crust by the action of magma some are resulted due to the lava flow from the volcanic eruption.Islands Islands are areas that are completely surrounded by water, e.g. The Hawaiian Islands. Islands are formed either as a result of the volcanic eruption or due to the presence of hot spots on the lithosphere.Plains Plains are flat areas or low relief areas on the earths surface, e.g. prairies, steppes. Plains are formed due to the sedimentation of the eroded soil from the hills and mountains or due to the silklike lava deposited by the agents of wind, water and ice.Valleys Vall eys are flat areas of land between the hills or mountains, e.g. The atomic number 20 commutation Valley. b highroadly speaking they are formed by the actions of rivers and glaciers. Depending upon the shape, valley forms are classified as U-shaped or V-shaped valley. V-shaped valleys are formed by flowing water or rivers, whereas U-shaped valleys are formed by glaciers. comeuppance Deserts are very dry lands with little or no rainfall, for example, The Sahara desert. Mostly deserts are formed in rain shadow areas, which are leeward of a mountain range with respect to the wind direction. Thus, the mountains overgorge the passage of wind resulting in little or sometimes no rain.Loess Loess are deposits of silt and with a little amount of sand and clay. Many a times wind action is responsible for formation of loess even so sometimes glacial activity can also form loess.Rivers Rivers are natural flowing stream of freshwater, e.g. The Nile. They mostly flow towards lakes or oceans bu t sometimes they dried up without reaching another water body. River water is collected from the surface water runoffs, groundwater water recharge and sometimes from the water reservoirs such as glaciers. Landforms definitely play an important role in the formation of rivers.Oceans Oceans are the biggest form of water and are saline, such as The Pacific Ocean. Oceans of the world covers around 71% of the earths surface and control the weather and climate of the earths surface.Think and ExplainAre landforms still affecting todays development?Glaciers Glaciers are huge slow moving body of ice. Glaciers are formed due to the compaction of snow layers and moves with respect to gravity and pressure. Mainly there are two types of glaciers- Alpine glaciers, which are formed in high mountains and Continental glaciers, which are formed in cold Polar Regions.ContinentsLand surface of the earth was divided into seven landmasses called continents.Land surface of the earth was divided into seven landmasses called continents. A continent is defined as a large unbroken land mass completely surrounded by water, although in some cases continents are (or were in part) connected by land bridges. The seven continents are North America, sulfur America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. The islands in the Pacific are often called Oceania.Illus. 1. The seven continents of the world.EuropeGeographically, Europe, including the British Isles, is a large horse opera peninsula of the continent of Asia and many geographers, refer to Europe and Asia, as the Eurasian continent. yet traditionally, Europe is counted as a separate continent, with the Ural and the Caucasus mountains forming the line of demarcation between Europe and Asia. Europe is a large peninsula with a long temporary coastline with varied mountains, and islands.The continent of Europe is a relatively small part of the Eurasian landmass, encompassing 3,827,308 square miles. It is bounded on the west by th e Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Mediterranean Sea and the wispy Sea, on the east by Asia, and on the north by the dick Ocean. Europes highest back breaker is Mt. Elbrus in Russia, at 18,510 feet above sea level. Its lowest eyeshade is the Caspian Sea in Russia, at 90 feet below sea level. The longest river in Europe is the Volga, which runs through Russia for about 2,300 miles. Also in Russia is the continents largest lake, Lake Ladoga, which covers an area of 6,834 square miles.Europe consists of over 40 countries, with approximate total commonwealth of 803, 850, 858 in 2009. Its two major English-speaking countries, the United Kingdom and Ireland, are island nations. Germany and France are the two most populous nations of aboriginal Europe. Two of Europes south countries, Greece and Italy are Mediterranean Sea peninsulas. Four of the continents northern countries Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden comprise a region known as Scandinavia.AsiaThink and RespondWhat ph ysical features mightiness have been a great help for the Europeans to explore and settle in the Philippines? Asia is the largest of the Earths seven continents, lying almost blamelessly in the Northern Hemisphere. With far islands, it covers an estimated 44,391,000 sq km (17,139,000 sq mi), or about 30 percent of the worlds total land area. Its peoples account for three-fifths of the worlds population in 2009 Asia had an estimated 4.10 billion inhabitants.Most geographers regard Asia as bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the Bering Strait and the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Indian Ocean, and on the southwest by the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea. On the west, the Ural Mountain serves as boundary between Europe and Asia. Some geographers include Europe and Asia together in a larger Eurasian region, noting that occidental Asian countries, such as Turkey, merge almost imperceptibly into Europe.The Continental mainland stretches from the southern end of the Malay Peninsula to Cape Chelyuskin in Siberia. The lowest and highest forelands on the Earths surface are in Asia, to wit, the shore of the Dead Sea which is 408 m/1,340 ft. below sea level in 1996) and Mount Everest which is which is about 8,850 m/29,035 ft above sea level.Asia is divided into different regional groups namely Southwest Asia, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia and Central or North Asia.Southwest Asia spans a vast area that encompasses the following countries Afghanistan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates.South Asia is a large landmass that blend ins southward from the continent of Asia into the Indian Ocean its nearly 1,591,890 square mile or 2,561,351 sq km occupying about 10 percent of the land area of Asia. This region includes the following countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri-Lanka.East Asia is separated from the rest of the Asia n continent by rugged highlands and hulk mountain ranges. It comprises the following countries China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan.Southeast Asia covers a land area of about 1.7 million square miles or 4.4 million sq km. It is environ by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean to the west and south. The following countries are included in the region Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.Central Asia/ North Asia is a region from the Caspian Sea in the west to Central China in the east, and from grey Russia in the north to Afghanistan in the south. It has a varied geography. The region includes the following countries Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.North AmericaThe third-largest continent on Earth is North America. It lies mostly between the Arctic Circle and the tropic of Cancer. It is almost completely surround ed by bodies of water, including the Pacific Ocean, the Bering Strait, the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Area 9,361,791 sq mi (24,247,039 sq km). Population (2008 est.) 528, 720, 588. It is shaped like an inverted triangle .To the southeast are the Appalachian Mountains and to the west are the younger and much taller Cordilleras. These mountains extend the length of the continent and occupy about one-third of the total land area. The Rocky Mountains constitute the eastern Cordillera. The highest point is Mount McKinley. The Mississippi River basin, including its major tributaries, the Missouri and Ohio, occupies more than one-eighth of the continents total area. Generally temperate climatic conditions prevail.South AmericaSouth America, fourth part largest of the Earths seven continents after Asia, Africa, and North America occupying 17,820,900 sq km (6,880,700 sq mi), or 12 percent of the Earths land surface. It lies astride the equato r and tropic of Capricorn and is joined by the Isthmus of Panama, on the north, to Central and North America. The continent extends 7,400 km (4,600 mi) from the Caribbean on the north to Cape Horn on the south, and its maximum width, between Ponta do Seixas, on Brazils Atlantic coast, and Punta Parias on Perus Pacific coast, is 5,160 km (3,210 mi). South America has a 2009 estimated population of 394 million, or 6 percent of the worlds people. The continent comprises 12 nations. Ten of the countries are Latin Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Two of the nations are antecedent dependencies Guyana, of the United Kingdom, and Suriname, of The Netherlands. South America also includes French Guiana, an overseas discussion section of France. The coastline of South America is relatively regular except in the extreme south and southwest, where it is indented by numerous inlet.The Andes Mountain, the second highest mountain range in the world is situated, in South America.The main lowland is the vast amazon catchment area in the equatorial part of the continent it is drained by the Amazon River, the worlds second longest river. The Orinoco River drains a lowland in the north to the south lies the Paraguay-Parana basin. The lowest point in South America (40 m/ 131 ft below sea level) is on Peninsula Valds in eastern Argentina, and the greatest elevation (6,960 m/22,834 ft) is atop Aconcagua in western Argentina, the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere.AfricaAfrica is the second largest of the earths seven continents, covering, with adjacent islands, about 30,300,000 sq km (about 11,699,000 sq mi), or about 20% of the worlds total land area. In the mid 2009, some 999 million people, or about 14.72% of the worlds population inhabited Africa.Straddling the equator, Africa stretches about 8000 km (about 4970 mi) from its northernmost point, Cape Blanc (ar-Ras al-Abyad) in Tunisia, to its southernmost tip, Ca pe Agulhas in South Africa. The maximum width of the continent, measured from the tip of Cape Verde in Senegal, in the West, to Ras Hafun in Somalia, in the East, is about 7560 km (about 4700 mi). The highest point on the continent is the perpetually snowcapped Mt. Kilimanjaro (5895 m/19,340 ft) in Tanzania, and the lowest is Lake Assal (153 m/502 ft below sea level) in Djibouti. Africa has a regular coastline characterized by few indentations. Its total length is only about 30,490 km (about 18,950 mi) the length of its coastline in proportion to its area is less than that of any other continent.Think and RespondWhy are the people in the desert commonly nomads?The chief islands of Africa include Madagascar, Zanzibar, Pemba, Mauritius, Runion, the Seychelles, and the Comoro islands in the Indian Ocean So Tom, Prncipe, Annobn, and Bioko in the Gulf of greaseball exaltation Helena, Ascension, and the Bijags islands in the Atlantic and the Cape Verde, Canary, and Madeira Islands in t he North Atlantic.Africa may be divided into three major regions the Northern Plateau, the Central and gray Plateau, and the Eastern Highlands. Low-lying coastal strips, with the exception of the Mediterranean coast and the Guinea coast, are generally narrow and rise sharply to the plateau.The outstanding feature of the Northern Plateau is the Sahara, the great desert that occupies more than one-quarter of Africa.At the touch of the Northern Plateau are several mountainous regions. To the Northwest lies the map collection Mountain, a chain of rugged peaks linked by high plateaus, which extend from Morocco into Tunisia. Other prominent uplands are the Futa Jallon, on the Southwest, and the Adamawa Massif and the Cameroon mountain range, on the South. The Lake Chad Basin is situated in the approximate center of the Northern Plateau. The Central and Southern Plateau is considerably higher than the Northern Plateau and includes west central and South Africa. It contains several major depressions, notably the Congo River Basin and the Kalahari Desert. Other feature South of this plateau is the Drakensberg Mountain.The Eastern Highlands, the highest portion of the continent, lie near the east coast, extending from the Red Sea South to the Zambezi River. South of the Ethiopian Plateau are a number of towering volcanic peaks, including Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Kenya, and Mt. Elgon. West of the owing(p) Rift Valley is the Ruwenzori Range.Australia/OceaniaThe continent of Australia/Oceania links together the continental landmass of Australia with the huge number of widely scattered islands across the Pacific Ocean. This continent includes New Guinea, Tasmania, New Zealand, Hawaii, and the countless islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.The continent of Australia is such a relatively low and flat place. Although the Great Dividing Range has some interesting areas such as the Blue Mountains area, and there is some nice mountain scenery, the heap of the continent is simply just not mountainous at all. The highest point on the Australian landmass is Mt. Kosciusko (7310/2228m), a peak with a road to the top.The continent of Australia/Oceania holds a respectable amount of serious mountains situated in the Oceania. In New Zealand and New Guinea are world-class mountain ranges Puncak Java, which is 5,030 meter, and in New Guinea is the highest summit in this part of the world. There is also the Southern Alps of New Zealand, which is a craggy, snowy range that challenges the best climbers in the world.Many other islands of Oceania hold mountains that are either higher or more interesting that those of mainland Australia highlights include the ranges of Tasmania, Tahiti, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and the massive epidermis volcanoes of Hawaii.Antarctica is the fifth largest of Earths seven continents. Antarctica surrounds the South Pole and is a place of extremes. It is the southernmost, coldest, iciest, driest, windiest, most remote, and most re cently discovered continent. Nearly the entire landmass lies within the Antarctic Circles. Air temperatures of the high inland regions fall below -80C (-110F) in winter and rise only to -30C (-20F) in summer. broad ice sheets built up from snow over millions of years cover almost all of the continent and float in huge ice shelves on coastal waters. In winter, frozen seawater (sea ice) more than duplicate the size of the Antarctic ice cap. Antarcticas vast areas of ice on land and on sea play a major role in Earths climate and could be strongly affected by global warming. The thaw of Antarctic ice could dramatically raise global sea level.Antarctica agency opposite to the Arctic, Earths northernmost region. Antarctica is completely encircled by the Southern Ocean. The entire area south of the Antarctic Convergence is referred to as the Antarctic region.The EarthEnsureChanges in the Earths SurfaceComposition and StructureOriginAtmosphe