Wonderful facts

The River Quiz

2012-06-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

The River Quiz

Hi friends!!! Lets see how much you know about rivers in the world. Check this out for many important facts

Facts about Tsunami

2012-06-20T20:29:00.000-07:00

World’s Biggest Tsunami

On the night of July 9, 1958 an earthquake along the Fairweather Fault in the Alaska Panhandle loosened about 40 million cubic yards (30.6 million cubic meters) of rock high above the northeastern shore of Lituya Bay. This mass of rock plunged from an altitude of approximately 3000 feet (914 meters) down into the waters of Gilbert Inlet (see map below). The impact generated a local tsunami that crashed against the southwest shoreline of Gilbert Inlet. The wave hit with such power that it swept completely over the spur of land that separates Gilbert Inlet from the main body of Lituya Bay. The wave then contiuned down the entire length of Lituya Bay, over La Chaussee Spit and into the Gulf of Alaska. The force of the wave removed all trees and vegetation from elevations as high as 1720 feet (524 meters) above sea level. Millions of trees were uprooted and swept away by the wave. This is the highest wave that has ever been known.

Tsunami wave

World’s deadliest Tsunami

The deadliest tsunami in recorded history was the 2004 Asian tsunami, which killed almost 230,000 people in eleven countries across the Indian Ocean.

World’s first Tsunami

The first Tsunami occurred in 6100 B.C. The Storegga Slides occurred 100 km north-west of the Møre coast in the Norwegian Sea, causing a very large tsunami in the North Atlantic Ocean. This collapse involved an estimated 290 km length of coastal shelf, with a total volume of 3,500 km³ of debris.Based on carbon dating of plant material recovered from sediment deposited by the tsunami, the latest incident occurred around 6100 BC. In Scotland, traces of the subsequent tsunami have been recorded, with deposited sediment being discovered in Montrose Basin, the Firth of Forth, up to 80 km inland and 4 metres above current normal tide levels.

Advanced Tsunami Warning system

Australian scientists are building an advanced tsunami warning system. The tsunami warning system contains a seismic array which is a network of interconnected seismographs that measure and record the force and duration of earthquakes. The system being installed in the red dust of the Pilbara region in Western Australia will monitor earthquakes around the Indian Ocean. In particular, it will look for signs of underground ruptures along the Indonesian archipelago to the north. It will not only predict tsunami but even predict the place it will hit.

Walls for preventing Tsunami

Japan has implemented an extensive program of building tsunami walls of up to 4.5 m (13.5 ft) high in front of populated coastal areas. Other localities have built floodgates and channels to redirect the water from incoming tsunami. However, their effectiveness has been questioned, as tsunami is often higher than the barriers. For instance, the tsunami which struck the island of Hokkaidō on July 12, 1993 created waves as much as 30 m (100 ft) tall - as high as a ten-story building. The port town of Aonae was completely surrounded by a tsunami wall, but the waves washed right over the wall and destroyed all the wood-framed structures in the area. The wall may have succeeded in slowing down and moderating the height of the tsunami, but it did not prevent major destruction and loss of life.

Tsunami wall, Japan

Country with highest tsunami rate

Japan is the nation with the most recorded tsunami in the world. The earliest recorded disaster was the tsunami associated with the 684 C.E. Hakuho Earthquakes. The number of tsunami in Japan totals 195 over a 1,313 year period, averaging one event every 6.7 years, the highest rate of occurrence in the world. These waves have hit with such violent fury that entire towns have been destroyed.

References

http://geology.com/records/biggest-tsunami.shtml

Amazing facts about Islands

2012-06-20T05:03:00.000-07:00

The largest island

The largest island in the world is Greenland. Australia is considered a continent because it has unique plant and animal life. Antarctica also is a continent – larger than Europe and Australia. Greenland, although quite big, shares the habitat features of Northern America.

The smallest island

The smallest island in the world – according to the Guinness Book of Records – is Bishop Rock. It lays at the most south-westerly part of the United Kingdom. It is one of 1040 islands around Britain and only has a lighthouse on it. In 1861, the British government set out the parameters for classifying an island. It was decided that if it was inhabited, the size was immaterial. However, if it was uninhabited, it had to be “the summer’s pasturage of at least one sheep” – which is about two acres.

Bishop Rock

The remotest uninhabited island

The remotest uninhabited island is Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic. Bouvet Island is a volcanic island constituting the top of a volcano located as the southern end of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the South Atlantic Ocean. The islands measures 9.5 by 7 kilometers (5.9 by 4.3 mi) and covers an area of 49 square kilometers (19 sq mi), including a number of small rocks and skerries and one sizable island. It is located in the Sub Antarctic, south of the Antarctic Convergence,which by some definitions would place the island in the Southern Ocean. Bouvet Island is the most remote island in the world. The closest land is Queen Maud Land of Antarctica, which is 1,700 kilometers (1,100 mi) to the south,and Gough Island, 1,600 kilometers (990 mi) to the north. Bouvet Island has reasons for being this isolated: 93% of its surface is covered by glaciers. The island was part of one of James Cook’s quests in 1772, when he left South Africa on a mission to find it. Oddly enough, a flash of light was recorded by a satellite in 1979 likely caused by a nuclear bomb explosion or a meteor. The island also was the setting for the 2004 movie Alien vs. Predator.

The remotest inhabited island

The remotest inhabited island in the world is Tristan da Cunha. It is in the South Atlantic, 2575 km (1600 miles) south of St Helena, which is an island a few hundred kilometers (miles) off the coast of South Africa. Tristan da Cunha has no TV but it has one radio station. The population totals 242 and they only have 7 surnames (last names) between them, so they are all related. Tristan da Cunha does have a capital, called Edinburgh of the South Seas.

Smallest independent island country

The smallest independent island country is the Pacific island of Nauru. It measures 21,28 sq. km (8.2 sq. mi). (Only the Vatican City and Monaco are smaller countries.) On the downside, people from Nauru are among the most obese people in the world, with 90% of adults overweight.

Newest island

New islands are islands which have been created recently, whether by means of vulcanism, erosion, glacial retreat, or other mechanisms. One of the most famous new volcanic islands is the small island of Surtsey, located in the Atlantic Ocean south of Iceland. It first emerged from the ocean surface only in 1963. In 1965, it was declared a nature reserve for the study of ecological succession; plants, insects, birds, seals, and other forms of life have since established themselves on the island.

Another noted new island is Anak Krakatau (the so-called "child of Krakatoa", which formed in the flooded caldera of that notorious volcano in Indonesia), which only emerged in 1930. Ample rainforests have grown there, though they are often destroyed by frequent eruptions. A population of many wild animals, including insects, birds, human borne rats, and even monitor lizards, have also settled there.

Uunartoq Qeqertoq is an island off the east coast of Greenland that appeared to have split from the mainland due to glacial retreat between 2002 and 2005; however, it is believed to have been a true island, with or without glacial covering, for many thousands of years.

The most famous lost continent is Atlantis. Atlantis, like Hyperborea and Thule, is ultimately derived from ancient Greek geographic speculation.

Famous Island

The Palm Islands are artificial islands in Dubai, famous for their amazing shape. The islands are The Palm Jumeirah, The Palm Jebel Ali and The Palm Deira. They were commissioned by the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to boost the country’s tourism industry, adding 520 km of beaches to the city of Dubai. Construction is believed to be finished in the next 10-15 years.

Least populated island

Located in the southern Pacific Ocean, the Pitcairn Islands are famous for being home to the descendants of the Bounty mutineers and the Tahitians that accompanied them. Today, the Pitcairn Islands are home to only 50 inhabitants (9 families), being the least populated island and jurisdiction of the world.

References:

http://didyouknow.org/islands/

http://www.hotelclub.com/blog/7-miracles-of-the-world-most-famous-and-remote-locations/

Facts about Desert

2012-06-18T23:42:00.000-07:00

The largest desert

The world’s largest desert is Antarctica. The world’s largest cold desert is Antarctica. The temperature in Antarctica has reached −89 °C (−129 °F). There are no permanent human residents, but anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside throughout the year at the research stations scattered across the continent. Only cold-adapted organisms survive there. Antarctica is home to more than 70 lakes that lie at the base of the continental ice sheet. Lake Vostok, discovered beneath Russia's Vostok Station in 1996, is the largest of these sub glacial lakes. It was once believed that the lake had been sealed off for 500,000 to one million years but a recent survey suggests that, every so often, there are large flows of water from one lake to another.

Blue ice covering lake in Antartica

The largest hot desert

Sahara in Africa is the second largest but it’s the world’s largest hot desert is Sahara desert in Africa. The total area covered by Sahara is 9,400,000 km2. The highest temperature is as strong as 58 deg. It was considered to be larger than this in ancient period. The sand dunes formed in Sahara may go up to 180 m and as strange it may sound, it is covered by snow during winters.

The largest Oasis

Oasis is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert. Oases are formed from underground rivers or aquifers such as an artesian aquifer, where water can reach the surface naturally by pressure or by man-made wells. Nile River valley and delta, Egypt, is claimed as the world's biggest oasis by the 2007 edition of The Guinness Book of World Records with a stated area of 22,000 square kilometers.

Optical illusion in desert

Mirages are optical phenomena caused by the refraction of light through heated air rising from a sandy or stony surface. They occur in the interior of the desert about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the coast. They make objects that are 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) or more away appear to move. This mirage effect makes it difficult for you to identify an object from a distance. It also blurs distant range contours so much that you feel surrounded by a sheet of water from which elevations stand out as "islands." Mirages make navigation in desert difficult.

People in desert Sahara

The largest group of people who inhabited the Sahara Desert is called Tauregs. The Tuareg are a pastoral people, having an economy based on livestock breeding, trading, and agriculture.

Desert Culture

Desert Cultural Center, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India is a very popular tourist place of India. The traditional folk music and dance is an integral part of the social and cultural life of the indigenous inhabitants of Jaisalmer. The Kalbeliya dance of the community of snake charmers portrays the rich artistic caliber and creative imagination of the dancers. The Desert Festival of Jaisalmer provides the local inhabitants and the tourists as well to explore the unique folk traditions of the ancient times. The Desert Festival is unique to Jaisalmer that displays the rich performing arts and unique craft works of the place.

Formation of desert

Deserts landscapes are more diverse than many expect. Some are found on a flat shield of ancient crystalline rocks hardened over many millions of years, yielding flat deserts of rock and sand such as the Sahara. Others are the folded product of more recent tectonic movements, and have evolved into crumpled landscapes of Rocky Mountains emerging from lowland sedimentary plains, as in Central Asia or North America.

Dust storms

Saharan dust storms are largely responsible for the significant difference between the numbers of cyanobacteria in the North and South Atlantic. The dust fertilizes the North Atlantic and allows phytoplankton to use organic phosphorus, but it doesn’t reach the southern regions and so without enough iron, phytoplankton are unable to use the organic material and don’t grow as successfully.

Dust Storm in Sahara

Desert in diverse

The Mojave Desert in USA is so diverse that it is subdivided into five regions: northern, south-western, central, south-central, and eastern. Elevations range from below sea level at Death Valley National Park to 2.26 miles on Mt. Charleston in the Spring Range of Nevada.

Amazing facts about Rivers

2012-06-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

The longest river

It is argument between scientists that whether Nile is the longest river or Amazon is. Traditionally, the Nile is considered longer, but recent information suggests that the Amazon may be longer. Nile is noted to have a length of 6650 km. Differences in the recorded length of the Amazon mainly depend on whether or not it is valid to take a course south of the Ilha de Marajó at the Amazon's mouth. New evidence in 2007 states that the Amazon is longer than the Nile by 100km, with its longest headwater being the Carhuasanta stream originating in the south of Peru on the Nevado Mismi mountain's northern slopes and flowing into the Río Apurímac.

River Nile

The widest river with largest drainage basin

Amazon is not only the World’s longest river but even the World’s widest river. It has a waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined (not including Madeira and Rio Negro, which are tributaries of the Amazon). The Amazon, which has the largest drainage basin in the world, about 7,050,000 square kilometers (2,720,000 sq mi), accounts for approximately one-fifth of the world’s total river flow.

The shortest river

The Roe River in Great Falls, Montana is only 201 ft. long. The D River is 440 ft. long. The Roe River is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's shortest river. The Roe flows 200 feet between Giant Springs and the Missouri River near Great Falls. The Roe River competes with the D River in Lincoln City, Oregon for the title of the shortest river. Both rivers have been measured on different occasions, with lengths varying from 58 feet to 200 feet. Schoolchildren in Great Falls campaigned successfully to have the Roe River placed in the Guinness Book of World Records. The source of the Roe River, Giant Springs, is the largest freshwater spring in the United States.

The deepest river

The Congo River (in the past also known as the Zaire River) is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of 220 m (720 ft). It is the third largest river in the world by volume of water discharged. Additionally, its overall length of 4,700 km (2,920 mi) makes it the ninth longest river.

The fastest river

The fastest river is the Passiac River at Paterson NJ is hands down the fastest flowing river in the world during flood stage. The Great Falls of the Passaic River at Paterson NJ falls 77 ft into an extreme narrow gorge which at the head of the gorge the river channel is no more than 25-30 ft wide. It is at this point in the falls into which the greatest volume of river water plummets. At flood stage when there are many billions of gallons per day going over the falls, the combination of the velocity of the descending water crushing down onto the channel squeezes or puts pressure onto the water in the channel from above. This combined with a very narrow cross section causes the velocity in that short and small section of the river to easily flow some 70 mph. This is not a manmade channel, it is natural, so the flow velocity during floods is the fastest naturally occurring flow .

The sacred river

Ganga River in India emerges from the depths of Gangotri glacier. The Gangotri glacier is situated at the height of4255 m above sea level and is approx 24 km in length and 7-8 km in width. It has been studied by Scientists that the water collected from Ganga at its origin is in a pure state and even after being kept for several years, does not get contaminated. These medicinal properties of Ganga are attributed to the medicinal secretions of herbs and mineral content which get mixed with the water. A recent research states that despite being polluted, the waters of the Ganges still possess ‘medicinal qualities’ and could pave the way for developing new ‘anti-microbial compounds’. Please view references for more details.

The oldest river

The Finke River is one of the largest rivers in central Australia. The Finke River has long been cited as "the oldest river in the world", particularly by tour operators, and in popular books and brochures. The river must have formed before the ranges were pushed up; this happened in a mountain building event referred to as the Alice Springs Orogeny which peaked between 400 and 300 million years age. Some parts of the river’s course must have been already in existence around this time. But southern parts of its course must be much younger because the areas where the Finke now flows near the southern edge of the Northern Territory, and further south, were under the sea during the Mesozoic Era.

The polluted rivers

Ohio River is the most polluted river of United States with 274 pounds of cancer causing solvents named tetrachloroethlylene into waterways. The most sacred river, Ganga which is worshipped as goddess by Hindus is among the top five polluted rivers of the world. Pollution has not only threatened the population around but the aquatic and amphibian creatures. The Ganga Action Plan which initiated the river cleaning process is a total failure due to corruption and lack of technical expertise.

Polluted Ganga

Underwater river

Rio Secreto, Mexico is unbelievable underwater river. It is a tourist attraction. It has got cave formation due to minerals stalactites and stalagmites. It is a magical experience for all tourists.

Rio Secreto

The beautiful river

Known as “the river that ran away from paradise,” the Caño Cristales in northern Colombia is often considered the most beautiful river in the world. Stunning, multi-hued algal streaks paint the riverbed in a kaleidoscopic palette of reds, yellows, blues, greens and blacks, while glassy waterfalls spill into neon-colored tide pools. The otherworldly rainbow effect emerges only during the height of summer when the heat helps resident algae colonies to grow and multiply, filling craters and eddies with intense bursts of color.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rivers_by_length

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_world%27s_smallest_river

http://www.uttaranchal.ws/river.htm

http://www.bharatpress.com/polluted-ganga-still-has-medicinal-qualities/

Astonishing Facts about Volcano

2012-06-18T03:02:00.000-07:00

The longest Volcano:

Mauna Loa on Hawai'i Big Island is the longest volcano on the earth measuring piles of lava more than 17,000 m (56,000 ft)! When measured from the sea floor, Mauna Loa's height is still more than 9,000 m, thus it is also the highest mountain on earth. Mauna Loa in fact is so heavy, that its weight has bent the oceanic crust under the volcano several kilometers downwards into the mantle. Mauna Loa is one of the Earth's most active volcanoes, with 33 well-documented eruptions in historic times since 1843. Its last eruption was in 1984 and since 2004, Mauna Loa is showing increasing signs of a possible awakening in a not-too-distant future.

Mauno Lao Erupting

The highest volcano:

The highest volcano is Ojas del Salado located in Chile, South America with an elevation of 6887 m.

Ojas del Salado

The Youngest Volcano:

The world’s youngest volcano is Paricutin volcano located in Michoacan state, Mexico, where it began to form in 1943. Over just nine years it grew to the height of 3170 meters and farmers who lived and worked in the nearby area at the start of its growth said that they could see the difference in its formation from going to bed at night and waking up in the morning.

Paricutin erupting

Largest Submarine Volcano:

Kolumbo is the largest submarine volcano in the Aegean Sea, about 8 km northeast of Cape Kolumbo, Santorini Island. It consists of a line of about twenty submarine volcanic cones extending to the northeast from Santorini, it is about 3 km in diameter with a crater 1.5 km across. Submarine volcanoes are very different from the volcanoes that are above sea level. Water has a higher pressure than air. It can be more devastating than normal ones.

Submarine volcano erupting

The Oldest Volcano:

The oldest volcano is Etna and that is about 350,000 years old locates in east coast of Sicily. Most of the active volcanoes that we know about seem to be less than 100,000 years old. Volcanoes grow because lava or ash accumulates on the volcano, adding layers and height.

Etna erupting

The list of highly destructive volcanoes:

Volcanoes are highly destructive. Their eruptions may wipe out cities and claim thousands of life. Some of the most dangerous volcanoes on the earth are as listed.

· Sakura jima, Japan

· Etna, Italy

· Kilauea, Hawaii, USA

· Cotopaxi, Equador

· Vesuvius, Italy

· Mearpi, Idonesia

· Nyiragongo, Congo

· Popocatepetl, Mexico

· Mount Teide, Spain

· Mount Raine, USA

To read more about dangerous volcanoes please view references.

The Beautiful Volcano:

Mount Mayon in the province of Albay, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines is renowned for its “perfect cone” because of its symmetrical cone shape. Local folklore refers to the volcano as Bulkang Magayon (Bikol: 'Beautiful Volcano'), after the legendary heroine Daragang Magayon. It rises 2462 m from the shores of gulf of Albay and has erupted 48 times in the past 400 years.

Mount Mayon

Volcano and Tsunami:

Volcanoes produce tsunamis through nine different mechanisms volcanic earthquakes, undersea eruptions, pyroclastic flows, caldera collapse, landslides, lahars, phreatomagmatic eruptions, lava bench collapse, and airwaves from large explosions. Waves produced by volcanic tsunamis can be as high as those produced by the largest earthquakes. The most devastating volcanic tsunami recorded was that produced by the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883. The waves had run up heights of 40 m and killed 36,000 people. Also, in 1638 BC waves of 50 m in Santorini, Greece destroyed population in Crete.

Volcano eruptions leading to tsunami

Killer Volcanic Eruptions:

In 4650 BC Mount Majama erupted ejecta for more than 100+ km³ forming Crater lake. Later in 1815, Tambora in Indonesia erupted the highest ejecta of more than 150 km³. It is one of the greatest killer volcanic eruptions leading to death of 92,000 and climatic changes like ash falls, tsunami, disease and starvation.

Largest Holocene Explosive Eruptions:

Arenal in Coasta Rica and Pelee in West Indies has the largest number of Holocene explosive eruptions till now. They both have a record of 19 eruptions till now.

References:

· Moano Lao: http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/faq/largest_volcano.html

· Paricutin: http://7ww.org/natural-world/paricutin-volcano/

· Kolumbo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolumbo_%28volcano%29

· More about volcanoes: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/general-facts-about-volcanoes
Dangerous volcanoes list:http://opentravel.com/blogs/ten-most-dangerous-volcanoes-on-the-globe/

· Volcano and tsunami: http://www.volcanolive.com/tsunami10.html

· Volcanic eruptions record: http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/platetec/topten.htm

Wonderful facts about Flowers

2012-06-18T00:24:00.000-07:00

The Largest and Smelliest flower

Rafflesia arnoldii (Titanum Arum) is noted to be producing the largest flower on Earth and a strong odor of decaying flesh - the latter point earning it the nickname of "corpse flower". It is found in the rain forests of Sumatra islands, Indonesia. It is one of the three national flowers of Indonesia. It is rare and fairly hard to locate. It is especially difficult to locate the flower in forests as the buds take many months to develop and the flower lasts for just a few days. In 2011, this flower bloomed full at University of Basal, Switzerland after 75 years. It remained bloomed for three days and its pungent smell lasted too! It weighs 200 lb and the stems heats up and raises when its ready to pollinate.

Once in a lifetime Crowds capture Titan Arum in bloom at the University of Basel Switzerland.

Once in a lifetime: People watching the bloom of Largest and Smelliest flower

The Smallest flower

Water meal or Woliffia Golobosa is the smallest flower producing the fruit utricle. The plant itself averages 1/42” long and 1/85” wide or about the size of one candy sprinkle. It can weigh about 1/190,000 of an ounce, equivalent to two grains of table salt. They are very hard to see! Imagine if you tried to fill a thimble with them, it is estimated that you would need some 5000 plants! It is found in lakes or marshes all over the world.

Water meal

The Wedding flower

Hydrangea is magical snowball puffs in fall: gorgeous. The clusters of star-shaped blossoms, often found in delicate pastel hues, embody innocence. They are popular in wedding bouquets and as garden flowers.

Hydrangea

The Toxic flower

Calla lily visually stunning and elegant, this beautiful flower is actually a member the poisonous species, Zantedeschia. All parts of the plant are highly toxic, with the capability to kill livestock and children if ingested.

Calla Lily

Flowers of weed

Lantana, with their pink and yellow petals, is butterfly magnets. The bush can grow to be quite large and the color of the petals changes as the plant ages. Beware - Lantana is considered a weed by many that are quite difficult to get rid of. The flowers typically change color as they mature, resulting in inflorescences that are two- or three-colored. A common name for Lantana camara is "Ham 'n Eggs" due to the adjacent pink and yellow inflorescences. It consists of more than 150 species.

Lantana

Romantic flower

Roses are one of the most romantic and wonderfully scented of flowers. The giving of roses is steeped in tradition and cultural meaning, from the yellow rose of friendship to the deep red rose of true love. Rose has more than 100 species. They are used for garden, perfumes, food, drink and medicine.

Rose

References:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafflesia_arnoldii

http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/smallestflower.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1379863/Worlds-smelliest-flower-Corpse-plant-opens-time-75-YEARS.html#ixzz1y7isUEjQ