Which belts of charged particles located above Earth's equator protect Earth from the solar wind?

• A. Van Allen radiation belts
• B. Kuiper belt
• C. Asteroid belt
• D. Oort cloud

Answer: (A)

The basic idea is that Earth’s magnetic field captures and traps charged particles from the Sun, forming the Van Allen radiation belts. These belts sit above the equator and consist of charged particles spiraling along magnetic field lines and bouncing between the northern and southern hemispheres. Because the particles are confined by the magnetic field, they act as a shield, reducing how many solar wind particles and energy reach the atmosphere. The inner belt is rich in protons, while the outer belt has mostly electrons.

The other options aren’t near Earth as protective belts of charged particles. The Kuiper belt is a region of icy bodies beyond Neptune; the asteroid belt lies between Mars and Jupiter; the Oort cloud is a distant, spherical shell far beyond the planets. None of these are belts of trapped charged particles surrounding Earth.