How Much Does the Earth Weigh?

Since the earth is suspended in space, it cannot be put on a scale and weighed. But scientists can estimate its total weight by estimating the weight of each of its parts, the crust, or solid rock, the mantle, also solid rock, and the core, a liquid, because of the great heat at the center.

These add up to an estimated 6.6 sextillion tons! To see what that number looks like, we'd have to write two 6s, followed by twenty Os, or 6,600,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons!

The earth's weight increases by 100,000 pounds each year from dust and meteoric material falling from the sky, from the residue of burning fuel, and from salt from the ocean spray!