Planets are rarely calm, they’re full of masses of movement, most of which you don’t even notice!
Fluids
A fluid is anything that flows when it’s pushed – that means gases are fluids too.
The Earth’s atmosphere, oceans and core are fluids – and water and wind are too!
You’re breathing fluids as well as drinking them!
The movement of fluids is responsible for all sorts of cool things on and around Earth.
Tectonic plates
The Tectonic plates are eight massive chunks of rock that make up the Earth’s surface.
They only move about a centimetre a year but that movement has created the continents we know today.
There are stacks of theories about what causes the continental drift, and tidal forces are certainly part of it, but there’s something else too…
Magma
Magma is generated in the mantle.
It’s flowing right under our feet and it’s what makes the continents move.
Core
In the core, the flow of liquid iron generates electric currents which in turn create magnetic fields.
That’s why magnets work – because of the core spinning!
And not just magnets like the ones on your fridge – the magnetic field around the Earth keeps us safe from some of the solar energy from the Sun.
Click here to explore more from Deep Space High: Earth Watch