Our planet has created an environment enabling our species, and all the others, to exist. What is it made of? How does it work? How can we help sustain our world as we know it?

Earth extends from the deepest depths of the ocean at Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench (10,994 meters – 36,070 feet) to the highest heights at Mt. Everest, the highest mountain above sea level (8,850 meters – 29,035 feet).

Below sea level (underwater) there are mountains that are higher than Mt. Everest know as seamounts. Seamounts have their origins at the ocean floor, and rise above sea level as islands. The tallest seamount is Maura Kea, starting at the sea floor of the Pacific Plate. It is 10,000 meters (32,808 feet), of which, 4,207 meters are above sea level.

With sea levels rising today, we must consider what has happened in the past. Sea levels have fluctuated over the history of the Earth.

How have we discovered this? We find fossils of sea creatures (fish, shark teeth – including Megalodon, cephalopods, corals and other animals) on land areas in Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, Montana and other states (as well as many countries).

Conversely, we have found remains of fossils and land animals, such as dinosaurs, wooly mammoths, dire wolf, and other animals in underwater places such as sinkholes, rivers and even oceans.

Besides animals, we have discovered ancient cities that have sunk below sea level in various locations around the world.

From Earth’s beginning as the super continent of Pangea to the present 7 continents, the geology in various parts of the world plays an important role in discovering Earth’s history. The movement of these continents over time has created mountains, valleys, volcanoes, and other natural phenomena. Due to wind and water, earth is moved overtime and looking underground gives us insight to the planet’s past, and may lend to predicting our planet’s future.