Life on our planet exists in a fairly small spatial segment called the biosphere. It is a very thin, no more than 20 km, layer on the outer shell of the Earth's crust. It is in this small interval (occupying only a third of a percent of the diameter of our planet) that not only the entire history of mankind has passed, but also the history of the life of all animals that have ever existed on our planet.
The rapidity of the development of human civilization has turned our heads, giving a ghostly illusion of our absolute power over the planet and the forces of nature. Undoubtedly, in the animal world no one can compete with us. Human intelligence is the most powerful weapon of the animal world, before which any claws, teeth, tusks and hooves graze. However, will humanity be able to challenge the forces of inanimate nature, will it be able to survive if something happens, before which our intellect or the level of development of our civilization will be powerless.
Mankind has existed on our planet for a relatively short period of time - no more than 40 thousand years, moreover, in a "civilized" form, that is, at least with developed agriculture - only about 10 thousand years. How many global events have happened during this time that have changed the face of our planet? Was there anything comparable, for example, to the fall of a meteorite that caused the extinction of animals at the end of the Cretaceous period? No, there were no cataclysms even of such a relatively small scale. Moreover, the last 12 thousand years is the end of the ice age, the peak of which occurred about 30 thousand years ago, that is, our species also existed in "unbearable" conditions, which only improved with the development of human civilization.
It turns out that both we and our distant ancestors are pampered by favorable conditions on our planet and have not seen any serious processes occurring in inanimate nature that could affect our life. However, sometimes the planet from time to time gives us reason to think that perhaps we are temporary guests on it, and it is possible that sooner or later, the same thing will happen to us as happened to the trilobites, which have become extinct completely. giving way to more advanced types.
Tectonic processes, that is, the processes of movement of parts of the earth's crust, have the greatest impact on the reduction of human civilization. These parts, or lithospheric plates, are perhaps the only solid formations on earth. Believe it or not, the Earth is basically a liquid body. Already at depths of about fifty kilometers in the upper mantle there are more liquid fractions than solid ones. And, starting from a depth of 200 km, solid ones do not occur at all. The tremendous pressure in the center of the Earth maintains a constant core temperature of about 6,000 degrees. Continents and oceans are located on lithospheric plates, in fact, our life takes place on these solid plates floating on the outer side of a huge molten ball - the Earth.
Due to the rotation of the Earth around its axis, around the Sun, as well as due to the tidal action of our satellite - the Moon, all solid and liquid fractions that make up our planet are in constant motion. Lithospheric plates are no exception - advancing on each other, they form mountain ranges and cause earthquakes, and where they diverge, volcanoes appear. Both those and other natural phenomena can conceal a serious danger to humanity.
One of the most destructive earthquakes occurred in the middle of the 16th century in China; more than 800 thousand people died. Volcanic eruptions, although they do not claim so many victims, sometimes have very unpleasant indirect consequences. So, for example, in 1816, as a result of the eruption of the Tambor volcano, so much dust was thrown into the earth's atmosphere that the temperature during the year did not exceed the average spring; for which this year was nicknamed "the year without summer". The consequences in the form of a crop failure and subsequent financial problems for a fairly large part of the world's population were not long in coming.
An equally important factor that can affect the very possibility of our existence is the Sun. Life on our planet directly depends on it. The sun controls the seasons and weather events. It provides plants with energy that allows them to produce hydrocarbons, thereby providing food for all life on Earth. Is our light so stable? Can we be sure that the creator and guardian of our life will not surprise us? In the end, the Sun is to blame for all weather cataclysms and it alone. The cause of all floods, landslides, mudflows and other things is the acceleration of the water cycle in nature, which may be due to the coincidence of various factors, among which solar activity occupies a significant place.
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In addition, back in the middle of the twentieth century, with the beginning of the exploitation of atomic energy by man and the appearance of the first diagnostic tools, geologists began to widely use radiation dosimeters in the study of the planet. An interesting relationship was discovered: in the deposits with a frequency of 250 thousand years, there are radioactive layers, the level of radiation in which sometimes exceeds the norm by 5-10 times.
There is a theory that says that such a periodicity can only have a body close enough to us; and from the sources of energy only the Sun is similar. However, there are alternative versions, for example, the presence of an invisible companion star in the Sun, the orbital period of which is just 50 thousand years. The age of the last such deposit is about 150 thousand years, that is, humanity still has a lot of time to solve this mystery and prepare for its arrival.
How terrible it is to live! - the average man in the street will think, and he will be right. Our Universe is by no means a paradise; not only is most of it unfit for life, but where there is life, many dangers lie in wait for it. So far, humanity has managed to stay alive. Will it be successful in the future? We will see…
