The aurora borealis and the northern lights are two of the most spectacular weather phenomena in the Arctic. While Antarctica also has aurora borealis and white nights, the phenomenon is often thought of as unique to the Arctic because it is not possible to experience them except for researchers living there. Greenlandic natives use the …
Earthquake precursors are events that precede an earthquake, and are known to begin days, months, or even years before an earthquake occurs. Some of the known seismic precursors include animal behavior, changes in groundwater levels, certain radio waves, and seismic light, but it has not yet been scientifically proven that these events are directly related …
Earthquakes are tectonic shifts in the earth’s crust that cause massive rocks in the ground to suddenly break apart, shaking the ground and buildings and splitting the earth’s surface like a turtle’s back. This causes mountain collapse, coastal collapse, ground slippage, landslides, rumblings (seismic booms), luminous phenomena, and movement of groundwater and hot springs. Earthquakes …
All about earthquakes, where the heavens shake and the earth cracks Read More »
Liquefaction is a phenomenon in which a loose sandy soil layer behaves like a liquid when the effective stress is reduced by the generation of excessive interstitial water pressure due to vibrations such as earthquakes and instantaneous shocks, and the shear strength within the sandy soil layer is lost. It can cause ground settlement or …
For the uninitiated, a mirage is a mysterious trick of the air. Gaspard Monge (1746-1818), a mathematician who traveled with Napoleon’s army, was the first to discover the cause of this phenomenon. He realized that the mirage was caused by a layer of hot air bordering the desert. The difference in temperature and density of …
The Concorde, a supersonic airliner developed in collaboration between the United Kingdom and France, once held the distinction of being the fastest airliner in the world. It made its first flight in 1969 and achieved Mach 2 the following year. It seats 130 passengers and has a range of about 6,000 kilometers. However, problems with …
The stratosphere protects Earth from UV radiation Read More »
“It is pointless to add another color to the rainbow,” said Shakespeare. This is because rainbows are the most beautiful of all weather phenomena. Rainbows are the art of water, light, and air. It is a magnificent rhythm woven by the warp and woof of the atmosphere. The moment-to-moment changes are exquisite. The complexity and …
What is a rainbow: the most beautiful celestial image in the sky? Read More »
How is climate different from weather? The dictionary defines climate as “the average state of atmospheric phenomena in a given region over a long period of time. Whereas weather is an instantaneous atmospheric phenomenon that changes from moment to moment, climate is the sum total of long-term atmospheric phenomena. Climate is more of a time …
Lightning Lightning is a spark discharge that occurs between separately accumulated negative and positive charges in a cloud, or between a charge in a cloud and a phone induced on the ground. The discharge between the charges in the clouds is called intra-cloud discharge, cloud discharge, or inter-cloud discharge, and the discharge between the clouds …
Travertine is a type of freshwater limestone composed of carbonate minerals precipitated at room temperature. Travertine is composed primarily of calcium carbonate, is commonly white to cream in color, and is characterized by high porosity. Similar freshwater limestones to travertine include travertine and speleothem, but they differ in their environment, formation process, and lithologic characteristics. …