Earth Science Facts

Volcanoes, lightning, and the powerful forces that shape our planet.

Volcanoes

There's a supervolcano under Yellowstone, and over 1,500 potentially active volcanoes worldwide.

4 reading levels: Rookie · Curious · Sharp · Expert

Lightning

Five times hotter than the surface of the Sun, and it strikes Earth 100 times every second.

4 reading levels: Rookie · Curious · Sharp · Expert

Earthquakes

Earth's crust is broken into a dozen tectonic plates that grind past each other, releasing energy that has reshaped continents and toppled cities for millions of years.

4 reading levels: Rookie · Curious · Sharp · Expert

Tornadoes

Violently rotating columns of air that reach from a thunderstorm down to the ground, packing the fastest winds on Earth.

4 reading levels: Rookie · Curious · Sharp · Expert

Hurricanes

Giant rotating storms born over warm tropical oceans, with a calm eye at the center, sustained winds above 74 mph (119 km/h), and the power to flood entire coastlines.

4 reading levels: Rookie · Curious · Sharp · Expert