Are you ready for some Earth Day Trivia? Earth Day is one of my favorite holidays. Not only do I love celebrating the planet, but I also love that this is the time for others to learn more about the Earth and focus efforts on being a steward of the Earth. I’ve compiled some earth day questions that are all about our planet, elements, weather, and the living organisms that inhabit Earth.
This post is all about Earth Day Trivia!
1.) When was the first Earth Day?
Answer: April 22, 1970
The first Earth Day was on April 22, 1970. Earth Day was celebrated by millions of people of various ages. The nationwide outpour to bring environmental issues to the attention of the federal government was catalyzed by the novel Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson as well as several major environmental problems. The success of this first Earth Day not only gave birth to environmental careers but also a change in national priorities. Source.
2.) How old is the Earth?
Answer: About 4.5 billion years old
Did you know the Earth is 4.5 billion years old? This Earth Day trivia question addresses the origin of the planet we know and love. According to NASA, the word Earth is only about 1,000 years old. This term means “the ground”. Earth is a giant ball of liquid water and elements that make it perfectly sustainable for humans to live and thrive. Earth is composed of four main layers, starting with an inner core at the planet’s center, enveloped by the outer core, mantle, and crust. Source.
3.) Which planet is closest to the sun?
Answer: Mercury
Here are 8 facts you may not have known about Mercury (source):
- Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system
- This planet orbits closest to the sun
- Mercury is the fastest planet in the solar system!
- The surface of Mercury is similar to the surface of Earth’s moon
- The atmosphere on Mercury is too thin for us to breathe
- Mercury has no moons. Earth has one moon.
- Mercury has no rings. Saturn has seven rings.
- The solar radiation and temperatures are so extreme on Mercury, life as we know it could not survive.
4.) What percentage of water on Earth is freshwater?
Answer: 3%
To be more specific, only about 2.5% of the water available on Earth is freshwater. The remaining 96.5% of the water on Earth is saltwater. Although surface water sources is what we see most often, it is only about 1.2% of our freshwater. Most freshwater is locked up in ice or stored underground in the form of groundwater. Source.
5.) What percentage of our Earth is covered in water?
Answer: 71%
Earth is also known as the water planet! On Earth water can be found in the air as water vapor, in rivers, lakes, icecaps, and glaciers, in the soil, in aquifers, and inside of each of us! Source.
6.) What two materials can be recycled indefinitely?
Answer: Glass and Metal (Aluminum)
Both glass and metal can be recycled indefinitely without decreasing their quality! This is in contrast to paper and plastic which do not have the same ability. Paper can be recycled 5 to 7 times and plastic can only be recycled 2-3 times before it can no longer be used.
7.) Does the Earth revolve around the sun or does the sun revolve around the Earth?
Answer: Earth revolves around the sun
According to NASA, if the Sun were as tall as a typical front door, Earth would be the size of a nickel (source). Earth is located 93 million miles from the sun.
8.) Bamboo is considered an incredibly sustainable resource because it regenerates quickly and does not require a lot of water. Is bamboo a plant or a tree?
Answer: A plant
Bamboo is considered one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet. It is quickly becoming a well-known substance in sustainability because of its versatility and smaller environmental impact. Bamboo can be used to produce items from furniture to clothing.
9.) How can you tell the difference between a male and a female pinecone?
Answer: Male pine cones are soft and spongy. Female pine cones are hard-shelled.
Did you know pinecones have genders? Source. Here are a few differences:
- Female pinecones make seeds and male pinecones shed pollen.
- The woody structure of female pinecones keeps the seeds safe
- Male pine cones produce pollen and release it into the air. When the pollen reaches the female pinecone pollination begins.
10.) What are the four main greenhouse gases?
Answer: Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, and Fluorinated Gases.
Carbon Dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas humans emit into the atmosphere. This is followed by Methane (10%), Nitrous Oxide (7%), and Fluorinated gases (source).
While greenhouse gases are necessary to help to keep the planet warm enough for us to live in, our human activity has increased the number of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, speeding up the natural warming of the planet.
Related Post: Are We In a Climate Crisis? Understanding Climate and Weather
Related Post: Here Are the Best Tips for How to Prepare For Climate Change Instead of Panic
11.) What is the main reason species are being lost to extinction
Answer: Loss of habitat.
Human harvesting for consumption has had a negative impact on species’ habitats. This includes harvesting for agriculture, housing, roads, pipelines, etc. Source. While some of this harvesting is necessary infrastructure to meet our human needs, more thought must be put into the impact of harvesting on marine and terrestrial habitats.
12.) What is the human-centered point of view that believes that human beings are the most important entity of the universe
Answer: Anthropocentrism.
Based on this point of view, humans are the center of the universe and all other objects/living things are only deemed important if they contribute to human survival and pleasure. Source.
13.) Where is the world’s largest mountain range located?
Answer: Underwater. The mid-ocean ridge is, formed by the movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates, and stretches across the entire globe. Source.
14.) What type of clouds are typically less than 3,500 feet in the air and look like fluffy, white cotton balls in the sky?
Answer: Cumulus. Source.
These puffy, fair-weather clouds are typically closer to the ground.
15.) What is the process of water changing from a liquid into a gas?
Answer: Evaporation.
When water is heated it turns from a liquid into a gas through evaporation. The steam you see in the shower or boiling water is evidence of evaporation taking place!
16.) Where is the driest place on Earth?
Asnwer: The Atacama Desert. The annual rainfall here is 0.03 inches. Source.
17.) One of the the hottest temperatures ever recorded on Earth occurred in 1913 at 134 degrees F. Where was this located?
Answer: Death Valley, California, USA. Source.
18.) Which place on Earth has the highest average annual rainfall?
Answer: Mawsynram, India. Source.
19.) What kind of vitamin does the sun create?
Answer: Vitamin D.
Did you know, according to studies, vitamin D can reduce cancer cell growth?! Source.
20.) During this process plants take in carbon dioxide and water from the air and soil and release oxygen back out into the atmosphere.
Answer: Photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis is incredibly important to life on Earth. Through photosynthesis, plants make their own food. This is done by taking in sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. During the process of photosynthesis, water transforms into oxygen and carbon dioxide turns into glucose. Source.
21.) Where is the boiling river located?
Answer: Shanay Timpishka in Centural Peruvian Amazon. This river can get as hot as 95 degrees F, hot enjoy to kill any form of life that enters. Source.
22.) What material can take up to 1 million years to decompose?
Answer: Glass. Source.
Yes! This is why glass recycling is so important. Remember, glass can be recycled indefinitely without losing its value. It is always better to reuse or recycle glass rather than throw it away or litter it.
23.) Which country is the top polluter in the world?
Answer: China. China emits 30% of the globe’s carbon emissions, followed by the United States’ 13.5%. Source.
27.) What is the floating island of garbage holding 100 trillion pounds of garbage from West Coast of North America to Japan along the Pacific Ocean called?
Answer: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Source.
There are five outshore areas where plastic accumulates. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest! The size of the garbage in this area is twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is made up of trillions of pieces of trash. It is enough trash to assign 250 pieces of trash to every human being.
28.) What is the largest continent on Earth?
Answer: Asia.
Did you know Asia covers 30% of Earth’s land? In addition, Asia contains about 60% of the Earth’s population. Russia is the largest country on the continent and China has the highest population. Source.
29.) How many human births happen on Earth every second?
Answer: 4.5. Source.
Although the world’s population continues to increase by roughly 140 people per minute however the overall rate of the population continues to decline over time.
30.) What percent of wildlife is aquatic?
Answer: 94%.
A whopping 94% of all wildlife on Earth is aquatic! Considering the fact that most of our planet is covered in water, this may not be too surprising. What’s even more fascinating is there’s only 5% of the ocean that has actually been discovered.
31.) Which animal is the largest creature that ever lived on Earth?
Answer: The Blue Whale. The blue whales weigh as much as 2,500 people! Source.
I hope you have fun with these Earth Day trivia questions!
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