Earth is arguably the most vibrant planet in the solar system, and not just because of life on the surface, underwater, or in the air. Constantly shifting tectonic plates that reshape the landscape, variable weather patterns, and constantly flowing bodies of water—the planet itself is alive. From the hottest to the coldest places, from the highest to the deepest, Earth is home to astonishing extremes that never cease to amaze us. Here are some of these extremes of our planet Earth.
1. The deepest point on Earth is 10,994 meters (36,070 feet) below sea level in the Mariana Trench. If Mount Everest were placed in it, it would be covered by water to a depth of two kilometers (1.2 miles).
The Mariana Trench, or "Marianas Trench," is located east of the Mariana Islands and the Philippines in the western Pacific Ocean. It is a crescent-shaped rift in the Earth's crust, 2,550 kilometers (1,580 miles) long and 69 kilometers (43 miles) wide, reaching its greatest depth at its southern end in the Challenger Deep, a small valley at its floor. The trench formed when the western edge of the Pacific Plate was subducted, or pushed beneath the Mariana Plate, by the convergence of two tectonic plates.
The extreme depth means the pressure at the bottom of the trench is 1,086 bar (15,750 psi), more than 1,000 times greater than atmospheric pressure at sea level. This pressure increases the density of water by 4.961 TP3T, meaning that 100 liters of water at this location would have a volume of 95.27 liters. (source)
2. The lowest temperature ever recorded on the Earth's surface is -128.6°F (-89.2°C) and was recorded at the Soviet Vostok Station in Antarctica on July 21, 1983.
Vostok Station was established on December 16, 1957, by the Second Soviet Antarctic Expedition in the interior of Princess Elizabeth Land, at the South Pole of Cold. Before Vostok became the site of the coldest recorded temperature, several record low temperatures had been recorded since the early 19th century. In January 1838, a temperature of -60°C (-76°F) was recorded in Yakutsk, Russia, and a few years later, in February 1892, another record low of -69.8°C (-93.6°F) was recorded at the same location.
In February 1933, a temperature of −67.6°C (−89.7°F) was recorded in the Russian village of Oymyakon, located southeast of Verkhoyansk. In 1957, temperatures of −73.6°C (−100.5°F) were recorded at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica, and in 1960, −88.3°C (−126.9°F). This measurement remained the record low until −89.2°C (−128.6°F) was recorded at Vostok Station.
Oymyakon and Verkhoyansk remain the coldest populated areas on Earth, with record low temperatures of -67.7°C (-89.9°F) and -67.8°C (-90°F), respectively. Interestingly, despite the extremely low winter temperatures, summers are mild, warm, and sometimes even hot. The record maximum summer temperature in Oymyakon is 34.6°C (94.3°F), while in Verkhoyansk it is 37.3°C (99.1°F). Verkhoyansk has the largest temperature difference on Earth: 105°C (189°F). (source)
3. In Spain there is a river called Rio Tinto, which is so acidic that its pH is between 2 and 2.5, and its water is blood red.
The Rio Tinto River in the Sierra Morena Mountains of Andalusia is distinguished by its red-orange color, caused by its unique chemical composition—a combination of acidic water, heavy metals, and high iron content. The river is approximately 100 kilometers long and maintains its red color for 50 kilometers before converging with other rivers.
The river lies within the Iberian Pyrite Belt, home to large deposits of ore and sulfide, and where mining has been conducted for approximately 5,000 years. Intensive mining in the 20th century was cited as one of the causes of the river's acidity, but this assumption proved incorrect, as numerous traces of oxides were found at an altitude of 60 meters above the current water level, as well as 20 kilometers from the river's current course.
The river's acidity is believed to be caused by acidic runoff from previous mining operations, as well as natural acidic runoff from the rocks, although the extent of each factor's influence is unknown. The river is home to extremophile anaerobic bacteria, making it a prime example for scientists to support the hypothesis that life may exist on Mars. (source)
4. The longest recorded lightning strike was 321 kilometers (199.5 miles) long and lasted 5.7 seconds. It occurred in Oklahoma in 2007.
The lightning strike occurred on June 20, 2007, and was recorded by the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Previously, lightning was considered incapable of traveling more than 32 kilometers (20 miles) from a thunderstorm or lasting longer than one second. The new record prompted the American Meteorological Society to recommend changing the definition of lightning. American Meteorological Society meteorology glossaries from "a series of electrical processes occurring within 1 second" to "a series of electrical processes occurring continuously.".
While Oklahoma holds the record for the longest lightning strike, the record for the longest lightning strike is on the French Riviera. According to the WMO, the strike, which stretched 200 kilometers (125 miles), lasted an incredible 7.74 seconds. Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is considered the "lightning capital of the world," with 233 lightning strikes per square kilometer per year. (source)
5. Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador, at 6,384.4 kilometers (3,967.1 miles), is the farthest point from the center of the Earth. Its summit is 6,263.47 meters (20,549 feet) above sea level.
Chimborazo is an inactive volcano in the Andes, whose last eruption occurred in 550 AD. Its summit is completely covered by glaciers, the northeastern slope of which descends to 4,500 meters. These glaciers also provide water for the provinces of Bolívar and Chimborazo. It is the highest mountain in Ecuador, the Andes, and those parts of the Americas north of Peru.
Although Everest is 2,585 meters (8,481 feet) higher than Chimborazo, Chimborazo's summit is farthest from the center of the Earth, with Huascarán being the second farthest. This is because the Earth is an oblate spheroid and thicker near the equator than at the poles. Chimborazo is located just one degree south of the equator, while Everest is at 27.6 degrees north latitude. Therefore, Chimborazo is 2,163 meters (7,096 feet) farther from the center than Everest, with the summit-to-center distance being 6,382.3 kilometers (3,965.8 miles). (source)