EASY READ The Earth

The Earth is a huge, spinning ball of rock with a core of iron. It is one of eight planets that travel round the Sun. It is the only world we know where life exists. Its surface is...

EASY READ What's inside the Earth?

The Earth has a thin rocky shell on the outside called the crust. Beneath the crust lie several layers. All of them are extremely hot. The first layer, the mantle, is made of rocks...

EASY READ What are tectonic plates?

The Earth’s surface is like a ball-shaped jigsaw puzzle. It is made up of about 15 giant pieces, called tectonic plates. These plates are always shifting about—but only very...

EASY READ What causes an earthquake?

An earthquake is the trembling or shaking of the ground. It is caused by the sudden movement of the rocks in the Earth’s crust. This happens when the edge of one tectonic plate...

EASY READ Why do volcanoes erupt?

A volcano is an opening in the Earth’s crust through which magma (molten rock) erupts. Some volcanoes are cone-shaped mountains with a crater at the summit. Others can be just a...

EASY READ What happened when Vesuvius erupted?

In AD 79, Mount Vesuvius, a volcano in southern Italy, erupted violently. It happened when the Roman Empire was at its height. During the eruption, the nearby Roman towns of...

EASY READ How are mountains formed?

Moving tectonic plates are responsible for some of the Earth’s major landscape features. If a large slab of the Earth’s surface is gradually squeezed, the solid rock slowly...

EASY READ How are rocks formed?

Rocks are the hard materials that make up the Earth’s crust. They lie beneath the soil, beneath city streets and beneath ocean waters. You can see them in cliffs along the...

EASY READ How are rocks worn away?

Rocks may appear to be solid and unchanging, but they are being slowly worn away. They are always under “attack” by the weather. Rainwater, frost or even just changes in the...

EASY READ How do rivers make valleys?

Rivers are natural water channels. They carry rain or melted snow and ice downhill to lowlands, lakes and seas. The force of running water wears away the rocks. This is called...

EASY READ How do caves form?

Caves are formed when water, flowing below ground, hollows out the rocks. You may also come across caves at the seashore, where waves crash against the cliffs. Limestone caves are...

EASY READ How do glaciers change the landscape?

A glacier is a mass of ice that moves slowly downhill. It is made from layers of snow that collect in basins between high mountain peaks. As the layers build up, the snow turns to...

EASY READ What are deserts like?

Deserts are found in areas where very little rain falls. Apart from in fertile spots called oases, there is little sign of life. Most deserts are just bare rock and gravel...

EASY READ How are coastlines shaped?

The coast is where the land meets the sea or ocean. Some coasts are shaped by the action of waves crashing against them. The rocks are gradually worn away, sometimes creating...

EASY READ What's it like under the ocean?

More than two-thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered by the waters of the oceans. About 97% of the Earth’s water is found in the oceans. There are five oceans. In order of...

EASY READ What's it like at the poles?

The North Pole lies not on land but in the ocean: the Arctic Ocean. It is permanently covered by ice, although the size of the ice cap shrinks in summer months as the ice melts...

EASY READ What causes tides and waves?

Sea levels rise and fall twice a day. This pattern is known as the tides. When the wind blows across the surface of the sea, it turns the water over and over in circles. These are...

EASY READ How does the water cycle work?

The oceans hold about 97% of the world’s water. Water evaporated from the oceans may be carried as water vapour across land. As it rises above high ground, it condenses and falls...

EASY READ What causes weather?

Weather is a word to describe what is happening in the air: rain or snow, hot or cold, cloudy or clear, windy or still. The Sun’s heat is vital to our weather. It makes some...

EASY READ How do storms occur?

Stormy weather means high winds and heavy rain or snow. In some parts of the world, the extremely fast-moving winds of hurricanes and tornadoes may be powerful enough to cause...

EASY READ Why do we have seasons?

In many parts of the world, the weather changes according to the time of year. These different periods, spring, summer, autumn and winter, are called the seasons. They occur...

EASY READ Why are there different climates?

Different patterns of weather, including rainfall, winds and temperature, are found in different parts of the world. These patterns are called climates. Hot climates are found near...

EASY READ What is causing global warming?

The Earth is getting warmer. Average temperatures worldwide have risen during the last century and there is no sign of this rise slowing. There is now a high risk that the polar...

EASY READ Earth glossary