15 Bizarre Things We Didn't Even Know the Earth Was Capable Of
![15 Bizarre Things We Didn't Even Know the Earth Was Capable Of](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/5/0/890150_320x180.jpg)
Ah, the mysteries of our planet! From the core of the Earth to its poles, from its magnetic fields to its tides, and from its geomagnetic jerks to its sodium layer, Earth is full of fascinating phenomena. It’s no wonder that scientists are constantly uncovering new discoveries about our planet, and that the more we learn, the more questions we have.
Take the Earth’s core, for example. Scientists have recently discovered that the inner core, made of solid iron and the size of Pluto, may have stopped spinning in a 70-year cycle and reversed direction. What could this mean for the future of Earth? Or take the Earth’s magnetic field, which has been weakening for 3,000 years. If it keeps going, in a thousand years we could be in serious trouble.
Clearly, the Earth is full of fascinating phenomena and secrets, and it’s no wonder that scientists are constantly uncovering new discoveries about our planet. Here is a list of some of the most interesting and mysterious things about our planet, and the more we learn about them, the more questions we have. Enjoy!
Earth’s core has gone off the rails.
![Scientists say EARTH'S CORE made of solid iron and the size of Pluto, may have stopped spinning in a 70-year cycle and reversed direction. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/9/9/4/888994.jpg)
Volcanic history: Yellowstone’s been busy!
![The last YELLOWSTONE SUPERVOLCANO eruption occurred 640,000 years ago, releasing enough material into the air to cover the entire United States and Canada with multiple inches of ash. It's impossible to predict, but based on its recent eruptions... we're overdue for another one. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/0/2/889002.jpg)
Saharan sandstorms: the natural climate changers.
![Every year, hundreds of millions of tons of dust are blown off the Sahara desert in DUST STORMS. All this dust can mess with the climate, changing how clouds form and how tropical cyclones develop. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/0/1/889001.jpg)
Earthquakes make a difference — who knew?
![EARTH'S ROTATION changes over millions of years. Even earthquakes and storms can affect the length of a day, up to a millisecond. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/9/9/7/888997.jpg)
Turns out the oceans have been hiding their true size all along.
![A massive UNDERGROUND OCEAN three times the size of all the oceans has been found deep underground in a blue rock called ringwoodite. It could help explain why Earth's seas have stayed the same size for millions of years. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/9/9/1/888991.jpg)
The sky is metal, literally.
![THE SODIUM LAYER is a layer of sodium atoms that stretches around the world. It's around three miles thick, usually located between 50 and 65 miles up in the sky. It's so faint that it wasn't discovered until 1929. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/0/3/889003.jpg)
The moon’s pullin’ our strings!
![CRACKED In 2012, the Van Allen probes discovered that THE moon PULLS on the Earth's magnetosphere. This pull is the same one that causes the ocean tides.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/9/9/8/888998.jpg)
Trouble in a thousand years? Better start stocking up now!
![EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD has been weakening for 3,000 years and if it keeps going, in a thousand years we'll be in trouble. This weakening could lead to a polarity reversal, which could be bad news for us. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/9/9/9/888999.jpg)
The seas are taking the heat — literally.
![OCEANS have taken in almost all of the extra heat caused by CO2 since the '70s, which has caused their average temperature to go up by a bit more than one degree Fahrenheit in the last 100 years. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/9/9/0/888990.jpg)
Brrr-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!
![THE JET STREAM is really strong and can push the freezing air from the Arctic thousands of miles south, causing really cold weather in places that usually don't get it. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/0/0/889000.jpg)
Do they have these at the jerk store?
![CRACKED GEOMAGNETIC JERKS are unpredictable, rapid, and intense anomalies in the Earth's magnetic field. They arise from hydromagnetic waves emitted in the inner core and focused and amplified as they approach the core's surface.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/9/8/9/888989.jpg)
Pacific coast waves: making noise since forever.
![The Earth has a very quiet BACKGROUND HUM. Its source is mainly the Pacific coast of north America. When two waves of similar frequency but opposite direction meet, they create a pressure wave that sends energy to the ocean floor, creating a constant vibration. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/9/9/2/888992.jpg)
A stormy voyage yields a shocking discovery.
![In 1909, the Carnegie expedition was the first to measure the GLOBAL ELECTRIC CURRENT. They found that it had a daily pulse which they called the Carnegie curve. This pulse was caused by electrified weather, like thunderstorms. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/9/9/3/888993.jpg)
Talk about a powerful flow!
![The ANTARCTIC CIRCUMPOLAR CURRENT moves 4.9 billion cubic feet of water per second around Antarctica, which is more water than all the rivers on the planet combined. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/9/9/5/888995.jpg)
Finally, a weight loss plan everyone can follow.
![Due to differences in EARTH'S GRAVITY you would lose 1% of your body weight if you moved from the Arctic to the summit of mount nevado Huascarán, in Peru. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/9/9/6/888996.jpg)