The earth first formed around 4.5 billion years ago from a huge cloud of dust and gas. This nebula, as it was called, gradually collapsed in on itself under the force of its own gravity. This collapse eventually led to the formation of our sun and all the planets in our solar system, including Earth. […]
Most of us have played ‘The Floor is Lava’ game. Magma from the Earth’s core provides an interesting imaginary challenge for young children to avoid, but in the real world, this molten rock can be explosively powerful. Volcanoes are one of the most destructive forces on Earth. In the past, they have been responsible for […]
One of the most powerful, albeit slow moving forces of nature are glaciers. A single glacier can carve out vast canyons in the side of a mountain and move millions of tons of rock and debris. Glacier ice is anywhere from the size of a bus to hundreds of kilometers long and several kilometers wide. […]
Coniferous forest ecosystems are found in regions of the Earth that experience somewhat long and cold winters, with summer being much shorter. Thus, it is no surprise that these biomes are more common the closer one travels towards the Earth’s poles. Additionally, this biome is found high atop mountains where temperatures tend to be lower […]
Deciduous forests exist in areas with a moderate amount of precipitation and where temperatures are also generally moderate. These ecosystems typically have long warm summers, and short cool winters. The most noticeable feature is the abundance of deciduous trees. A deciduous tree is a tree that loses all its leaves in autumn.
Tropical rain forests are found in locations that receive significant amounts of precipitation. These locations are easily recognizable by their abundance of lifeforms. These lifeforms include numerous trees, plants such as ferns, and an abundance of insects, spiders, snakes, monkeys, and other plants and animals. Tropical rain forests are very important to the overall health […]
Grassland biomes exist throughout the Earth, and in many cases can be vast, expanding across millions of square miles, or kilometers. These biomes are marked by sparse trees and extensive grasses as well as a variety of small and large animals. Some of the largest land animals on Earth live in grasslands, including American bison, […]
Desert biomes are found throughout the Earth. These dry locations have specialized plants and animals that have become adapted to surviving on little water. Some plants and animals can actually store water within their bodies, such as cactus, camels, and some varieties of frogs found in Australia. Due to there being fewer resources available, there […]
The frozen cold ecosystems found near the northern most parts of the Earth are called tundras by scientists. These locations are known for their long cold winters, and their short cool summers. The Earth’s tundras are home to a variety of specialized plants and animals that have adapted to survival in such brutal environments. Animals […]
The plants and animals that are found in a particular location are referred to as an ecosystem. These plants and animals depend on each other to survive. In a delicate balance, these lifeforms help to sustain one another in regular patterns. Disruptions to an ecosystem can be disastrous to all organisms within the ecosystem. As […]
