Jeff Kinney

Science & Nature
Photo by: Linda F. Radke
The Earth
Beneath Your Feet
by Conrad J. Storad
Earth is a very special place. Our little world is the
third of eight planets that orbit a star called Sol. Earth
is home. And it’s really the only home we know.
But astronomers and planetary scientists have
another name for Earth. They call Earth a “Goldilocks
planet.” Why? Because the range of conditions that
exist on Earth are “just right” to support all kinds of
living things.
Rock layers that make up the top part of the Earth’s
crust are visible in the Grand Canyon.
Photo by Conrad J. Storad
The poles are the areas at the top and bottom of our
planet. The temperatures there are usually freezing
cold. The equator is the area that wraps around the
middle of Earth. Rain forests grow there. It is usually
quite hot and humid.
Near the top of Earth’s highest mountains, the air
is much too thin to breathe. And the pressure in the
deepest trenches beneath the oceans would squash
us flat.
Despite these extremes, most of Earth’s surface boasts
conditions that can support all kinds of living things.
To date, even at the extremes, the only place life has
been found is on the surface of our planet. The surface
is the thin layer between the atmosphere and crust.
Take a few steps outside of your home. Now look
down at your feet. You probably are standing on grass
or dirt. It could be concrete or blacktop. You also are
standing on the Earth’s crust.
Our planet’s crust is hidden from view in most
places. It might be covered by the water in rivers or
lakes or oceans. The crust hides beneath cities and
streets and parking lots. Or it might be buried under
forests or beneath fields of wheat and corn. But
there are places where you can see the Earth’s crust.
The Zoroaster Granite at the bottom of the Grand
Canyon is almost 2 billion years old. This layer of rock
is one of the oldest parts of the Earth’s crust that a
human can actually touch.
Photo by Conrad J. Storad
22 StoryMonstersInk.com | NOVEMBER 2015 | Story Monsters Ink