Earth Feature

In the United States, in the state of Arizona, you will find the this huge crater believed to have been left by a meteor around 50,000 years ago. It has been estimated that this chunk of iron and nickel rock meteor was about 150 feet in diameter and weighing 300,000-500,000 tons. Experts who have studied the area compare the impact to setting off 20,000,000 tons of dynamite to create the same crater. With a speed of about 40,000 miles per hour the huge meteor impacted the earth leaving a crater over 4,000 feet across and a circumference of almost 2 1/2 miles. Back at the time of the collision the crater floor was about 700 feet deep and 50,000 years later the floor is still about 550 feet deep.

In the mid-1800's people thought this crater was a volcano vent protruding out of the ground. It was not until about 1900 when a mining engineer, Daniel Barringer, proclaimed the crater was formed by a meteor impact. Today, scientists have studied the crater and found an abundance of two distinct minerals, sitchovite and coesite, thought to be from the meteor. It was not until 1968 that the United States Department of Interior declared the site a Natural Landmark.

One very interesting natural land feature of earth is the Mayon Volcano. We present this particular volcano because it is considered one of the most active volcanoes on our planet. Also because it is a natural wonder as it towers over 8,000 feet upwards for all to see. Often smoking like a chimney, and it's high activity, it has been dubbed as part of, what's known as, The Pacific ring of Fire.

Volcanologists have classified this volcano as a stratovolcano. It was formed over many eruptions into the almost perfect symmetrical cone we see. With each eruption the pyroclastic flows and lava flowed down creating layer on-top of layer forming this wonder. Over a 400 year period the Mayon Volcano has erupted almost 50 times. It is located on the island of Luzo northwest of the city of Legazpi.

Elevation 2,463 meters 8,081 ft 
Location Albay, Philippines 
Coordinates 13°15′24″N 123°41′6″E 13.25667, 123.685 
Type Stratovolcano 
Last eruption 2006

Earth, the only known planet with life. Planet Earth consists of a core of molten iron and nickel, surrounded by a "mantle" of solid elements(iron, silicon, aluminum, and oxygen), with a crust near the surface. It has multi-levels of loose rock, dirt, clay and sand on the surface of the crust. Also we know the surface is covered mostly by water. There are about 8 elements that make up all of the earth's crust, mainly: calcium, iron, sodium, potassium, oxygen, magnesium, aluminum, and silicon.

Where the land is visible on the earths' surface, we call them continents, and they are about 35 km thick. Where beneath the oceans the land is only about 7 km thick. Most of the earth's mass comes from the mantle layer. It is solid making up 70% of the mass. Another 30% comes from the 1270 km thick core of the earth, the iron and nickel center. Only 1% stems from the crust or surface layer of earth.

 Statistics
Mass (kg) 5.976e+24 
Equatorial radius (km) 6,378.14 
Mean density (gm/cm^3) 5.515 
Mean distance from the Sun (km) 149,600,000 
Rotational period (days) 0.99727 
Rotational period (hours) 23.9345 
Orbital period (days) 365.256 
Tilt of axis (degrees) 23.45 
Mean surface temperature 15%deg;C 
Atmospheric pressure (bars) 1.013 
Atmospheric composition Nitrogen 77%
Oxygen 21% Other 2%

Rock is a substance composed of minerals. Rocks are classified according to their mineral composition and the processes that formed them. There are three processes known to make igneous rock, sedimentary rock, and metamorphic rock. Igneous rock comes from the process of molten magma. Sedimentary rock comes from the process of deposits and compression. Metamorphic rock comes from igneous or sedimentary rock that has been altered by temperature.

Another interesting thing about rock that brings it to our site for our readers, is it's ability to hold an imprint of organic materials. These imprints are know as fossils and have played a major role in our wisdom, when it come to the history of our planet earth. Many historical facts are based on fossil finds. In fossils we have discovered a past on earth that does not exist today. Many plants, animals, and organisms, have been found in fossil imprints embedded in various rock all over the earth. A sort of fossil record is being compiled constantly giving man great insight to our past.

A mineral is composed of only one substance. There are about 3000 different minerals in the world. Minerals are made of a single chemical or a combination of chemicals. There are 103 known chemical elements. Minerals are classified into these 8 groups below, with examples given for each group.

• Nitrates, Carbonates, Borates ~ calcite, dolomite, malachite
• Halides ~ halite, fluorite
• Native Elements ~ copper, silver, gold, nickel,iron, diamond
• Sulfides ~ sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena, pyrite
• Sulfates, Chromates, Tungstates ~ celestite, barite, gypsum
• Oxides, Hydroxides ~ corundum, hematite
• Phosphates, Arsenates, Vanadates ~ apatite, turquoise
• Silicates ~ quartz, almandine garnet, topaz, jadeite, talc

The air fern, which is labeled in stores and some garden centers as: "A plant that needs no water or fertilizer", is actually the skeletal remains of a tiny sea animal called Sertularia, a distant relative of coral. They look like ferns and have extremely fine foliage. In stores they are also sold as "air plants" or "air moss". The skeletons are collected by ships which dredge for them along coastal areas and in streams or rivers. They are then treated with chemicals and dyed green. If you have an air fern, don't water or fertilize it!