51 Earth's Surface-High

Earth's Surface Written by Rhonda Lucas Donald

Introduction Earth is your home. Earth's surface is where you live and play. You can run in a field or ride a bike on the sidewalk. You can jump into the water and swim.

Look at Earth's surface from space. The brown and green patches are land. The blue areas are water. Which do you think makes up more of Earth's surface, land or water? All living things depend on Earth's land and water. You do, too!

Land Earth is called a rocky planet. The land is mostly made of rock. Rocks are hard chunks of Earth materials. What else makes up Earth's land?

Soil is also part of Earth's surface. Without soil, most plants could not grow. Soil is mostly tiny bits of rock. Those tiny bits come from big rocks that break down over time. Bits of dead plants and animals also get mixed in, along with water.

Earth's land has many shapes. Some land is flat, like on a farm. Some land is pointed, reaching high into the sky to make huge mountains. Caves and canyons are also part of Earth's surface. Do You Know? There are mountains and canyons under the oceans. The tallest mountain on Earth is Mauna Kea, in Hawaii. But most of it is underwater! Only the top part sticks out above the water.