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Myths about Earth
In cultures around the world, humans have developed stories to help them understand how the Earth came to be, and why things happen. Many of these stories share interesting similarities, which point, perhaps, to deep common concerns of human beings. Explore the links in this section to find out about myths related to Earth, and phenomena that occur at the Earth’s surface.
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Explore Myths about Earth
Egyptian: Geb
Thousands of years ago, Geb was worshipped at the city of Heliopolis in lower Egypt as the ...Read more
Aztec: Coatlicue
Coatlicue, whose name means "Serpent Skirt," was the Earth goddess of life and death in the ...Read more
Greek: Gaea
Gaea was the great deity of the early Greeks. She represented the Earth and was worshipped ...Read more
Chinese: Hou Ji
Hou Ji was originally a Chinese hero of royal descent. His ancestor was Huang Di. Tang, the ...Read more
Inca: Pachamama
Incas of ancient Peru believed that Pachamama personified the Earth. Incas ruled Peru from ...Read more
Maya: Bacabs
The Earth was conceived by the Maya as flat with four corners. Each corner represented a cardinal ...Read more
Maori: Papa
According to the Maori people of New Zealand, Rangi was the Sky Father and his wife was the ...Read more
Norse: Midgard
Midgard is the realm where human beings live. Midgard, the Earth, was created from the flesh ...Read more
Sumerian: Enlil
Enlil was the Sumerian god of Earth and air. Sumerians were living more than three thousand ...Read more
Aspects of the Earth
Explore myths related to phenomena on Earth like storms, wind, rainbows, and more. ...Read moreHistorical Events
3/9 Earthquake with magnitude 8.6 hits Andreanof, Alaska in 1957
3/13 William Herschel discovered Uranus on this date in 1781 Details
3/13 F5 tornado hits Hesston and Goessel, Kansas, in 1990, part of a major Central US tornado outbreak
Full Earth and Space Science History Calendar (Members only)
Teacher Opportunities
3/14 AMS Summer Workshops for K-12 Educators - The Maury Project
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3/15 Endangered Species Youth Art Contest
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3/27 4th Annual Green Schools National Conference
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Full Teacher Events Calendar (Educator Members only)
Did you know?
Did you know that the "Seven Sisters" known to the Greeks is the same as the "Flint Boys" known to the Navajo?Did you know that Egyptian hieroglyphics remained a mystery until around 1800? It wasn't until then that the Rosetta Stone helped crack the code!
Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day
Do you know what this word or phrase means?Orographic lift
xOrographic lift : Occurs when an air mass is forced to rise over geographic relief from a lower elevation. As the air mass rises it expands and cools adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100%, create clouds and precipitation.
Click on the word to find out!
Research Highlights
A Star Is Born... But How?
Created in the first three minutes after the Big Bang, hydrogen and helium gave rise to all other elements in the universe. Stars made this possible. Through nuclear fusion, stars generated elements such...Read more
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Science Blogs
Perspectives on Earth and Space Science Education
Real Climate: climate science from climate scientists
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