How can we best classify places that share similar characteristics? No doubt the most familiar one is through nationalities or areas enclosed by national or political boundaries. But geographers have gone beyond this to use cultural regions that can be quite powerful at getting deeper insights into a people’s identity, sense of place, and connection …
Since ancient civilizations, we have been mining ores and/or minerals because they contain a wide of elements that we use in our everyday lives. From ceramics, plaster, chemical filters, salts, construction materials, appliances, cars, computers, fertilizers, and jewelry to electronic components, almost everything that we use is derived from ores and/or minerals. So, without ores/mineral …
Igneous rocks are found within the earth’s crust. The earth’s interior temperature is high and results in volcanic activity. Molten magma erupts to the earth’s surface, where the temperature is low. Molten magma solidifies rapidly on cooling to form a glassy solid with fine grains. Magma is made of igneous rocks. When molten magma (lava) …
To answer this question, we have to first know what we mean by the universe. Before the age of modern science, most people thought of the universe as just our earth or solar system. We have come a long way from that due to our cutting-edge astronomical instruments and more accurate modern scientific theories. Science …
A forceful agent like wind or water may be powerful but sooner or later, they lose their energy like tiring giants. So, what happens to the loads they carry? These loads, called sediments, get dropped on the earth. The transport agent can be flowing water, wind, ice, or the sea. The loads or sediments they …
Who hasn’t marveled at the sight of sand as it shimmers in the sun for that perfect holiday setting? From the hot blazing swathes of desert such as the Sahara Desert to the beaches, the stretch of sand is breathtaking. Doesn’t it make you wonder how many sand grains there are in the world? Of …
The depths of the earth can be tremendously hot, reaching insane temperatures that can take you all the way from 600 °C to 1,300 ° C (that’s 1100 °F to 2400 °F)! That doesn’t spare rocks that literally melt to form hot molten material or magma. What happens to this magma? It tries to escape …
On a humid day, we see clouds floating in the sky. Some clouds are white and sparsely scattered, while others are dark gray and heavy. There are four major types of clouds; stratus, nimbus, cirrus, and cumulus. Some clouds, such as stratus, form snow while others, such as nimbus, result in rainfall. Cumulus clouds appear …
During winter, we see snowfalls everywhere. When snowflakes accumulate over a long period, blocks of ice are formed. Some of the ice melts when the temperature rises in lower altitude areas. Ice in high-altitude areas can stay for a long time without melting because the temperatures are low. As the ice accumulates to form large …
Reports of fish raining from the skies have been frequently recurring. From ancient times up to more modern times, witnesses have continued to report such incidents. This brings to mind similar accounts in the Bible where frogs or gnats were transported in large numbers and deposited on homes during the showdown between Moses and Pharaoh …
