http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/science/artificial-reefs-gain-popularity.html http://www.articletrader.com/science/artificial-reefs-gain-popularity.html Sun, 02 Aug 2009 16:30:11 -0500
Artificial reefs are becoming more widely accepted as environmentally friendly havens for scuba divers, and the movement just received a major shot in the arm with the recent establishment of the second largest artificial reef in Key West, FL, according to one expert.

"Artificial reefs for recreational purposes are a complete win-win for divers, sea life and the environment," said Charlie Hudson, author of the book Islands in the Sand: An Introduction to Artificial Reefs in the USA from Booklocker.com (www.charliehudson.net). "With the sinking of the 521-foot-long General Hoyt S Vandenberg, intentionally sunk in 137 feet of water some seven miles south of Key West, enthusiasts of artificial reefs have something more to be excited about."

Located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the 65-year-old vessel is now the world's second-largest artificial reef. It's part of the "Florida Keys Shipwreck Trek" which consists of several ships intentionally sunk in an area stretching from Key Largo to Key West.

Hudson, who has studied the history of planned artificial reefs back to their beginnings in the 1800s, believes that the future of artificial reefs is brighter than it's ever been.

"Artificial reefs have long since transcended the days of the many ‘accidental' ones created by shipwrecks," Hudson said. "Many reefs are built by deploying existing materials in order to create a reef. This can be done by sinking oil rigs (through the Rigs-to-Reefs program), scuttling ships, or by deploying rubble, or construction debris. Other artificial reefs are purpose built (e.g. the Reefballs™) from concrete or other approved materials. Regardless of construction method, artificial reefs are generally designed to provide hard surfaces to which algae and invertebrates such as barnacles, corals, and oysters attach; the accumulation of attached marine life in turn provides intricate structure and food for assemblages of fish."

Hudson believes that artificial reefs also help preserve living reefs that have been damaged over the years by divers.

"Natural reefs taking hundreds of years to form and even a little incidental damage by visitors can take hundreds of years to heal," she said. "Artificial reefs help protect natural ones by providing interesting scenery for divers and a solid structure for algae to form, providing food and an eco-system for sea life."

For practical purposes, artificial reef projects began in the 1950s and gained attention in the 1980s, according to Hudson. Artificial reef projects can be as complex and expensive as sinking a former aircraft carrier or something like a Reefball™ or other special structure done by a small group in a matter of a weekend.

"Recreational artificial reefs can be properly planned and sustained for public enjoyment and economic benefits with no environmental danger," Hudson added. "More than that, people at literally every age and literally every part of the country can participate in artificial reef projects. It's one of the oldest ‘green' causes around, and it makes it possible for every to not only pitch in, but also to enjoy."

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Charlotte "Charlie" Kimball Hudson, born in Pine Bluff, Ark., and raised in Louisiana, is a 22-year career military veteran and wife, freelance writer and author. During her extensive military career Hudson was deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and to Haiti in support of Operation Uphold Democracy. She retired from the Army in 1995 as a lieutenant colonel. She and her husband, Hugh Hudson, recently moved to South Florida where they can enjoy their love of scuba diving.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/science/pure-water-comparability--distilled-water-against-deionized-water.html http://www.articletrader.com/science/pure-water-comparability--distilled-water-against-deionized-water.html Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:32:58 -0500
As you might already be aware of, the water that comes out of your faucet passes through a long line of pipes before it reaches your home. As a result, it may carry unwanted substances and contaminants. Thus, much importance is given to water purification. There are various methods used to purify water, so even though water is water, which contains two molecules of hydrogen and one molecule of oxygen, there are different forms of purified water.

Two of the most common forms of purified water are deionized and distilled water. Now, let us take a look at how they differ.

Distilled water is a product of distillation, which is a process where water is boiled and the steam is condensed into a clean container, with most of the solid contaminants left behind. The process also kills and removes bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, and inorganics.

Distilled drinking water may not be new to you as you can find them in supermarkets sold in bottles. This form of purified water also proves to be very helpful for those people living in seaside areas where there is not enough fresh water. Since distilled water is often used for drinking, there are debates whether it is really good for the body. There are contentions that it draws minerals from the body and that one of its effects is teeth deterioration. Whether it is good or not for drinking, it is an ongoing debate. What we need to do in our part is to make ourselves informed.

Deionized water, on the other hand, is the product of deionization. Through this method, raw water is exposed to electrically charged resins that attract and bind the salts. As a result, mineral ions such as sodium, calcium, iron, copper, chloride, and bromide are removed.

This form of pure water is not commonly used for drinking, though. One of its common uses is in sterilizing laboratory equipment. It is also used in laboratory testing as it has been freed of chemicals that may affect test results. It likewise functions as battery water; minerals ions that tend reduce the lifespan of batteries have been removed. Also included in its practical uses is in washing cars and windows and it is because it does not leave water spots in cars and windows.

Other examples of water purification techniques include carbon filtering, where the absorption capacity of carbon is enhanced by adding a slightly positive electrical charge. When the water passes over the activated carbon, the negative ions of the contaminants are drawn to the surface of the carbon granules. These contaminants are then removed from the water. Another technique is reverse osmosis, where water is allowed to pass through a semi-permeable membrane, thus trapping the contaminants in the tiny pores of the membrane. Other methods of purifying water are ultraviolet water purification, water conditioning, and plumbo-solvency reduction.

Water is a basic need, so importance must be given to make it safer to use. Some people may consider the use of pure water as a luxury, but if we take a good look at it, it actually isn't. Making use of high quality water for our health and for other purposes is not about money. What is it to spend a little bit more when it means safer water to drink and cleaner windows?

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Jo is an author and publisher for 'The-Water-Company.com' (http://www.the-water-company.com), a reputable UK based high quality water manufacturer for more than 30 years, supplying products such as deionized water and demineralised water to a wide range of consumers in UK, Europe and all over the world. If you have a high quality laser cutting water requirement then take a look at The-Water-Company.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/science/the-various-purification-methods-involved-in-deionized-water.html http://www.articletrader.com/science/the-various-purification-methods-involved-in-deionized-water.html Tue, 21 Jul 2009 06:37:14 -0500
The presence of water impurities has become a problem since the dawn of man on this planet. Diseases like cholera have been blamed to contaminated drinking water and until now it remains a problem. But centuries ago when water purification was not as sophisticated as today's, these problems were fatal. Water is a favorable environment for microorganisms like bacteria. Aside from microscopic organisms, other impurities may be present. Water always comes with dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium. These minerals may be beneficial at times. At other times, they are just not needed. Water that contains high amounts of these minerals is called hard water. Hard water forms scum with soap. This scum adheres to sinks and tiles forming yellowish deposits. The same thing happens to clothes, which sustain yellowish discoloration upon washing in hard water.

Purification of water is essential in many industries. Manufacturers prefer water at its best purified form. There are lots ways to remove water impurities and one is through de-ionization.

As mentioned earlier, calcium, magnesium, sodium and chloride are some of the ions present in water. The removal of these ions requires a process called ion exchange. The positive and negative ions (cations and anions respectively) present in the water are exchanged with hydrogen (H+) and hydroxyl ions (OH-). Notice that H+ and OH- are actually ions of water itself - H2O. This mechanism involves the use of resin, which has an affinity for ions. The resin beads used for this purpose contain binding sites for ion exchange to occur. After a time, the resin beads become depleted of their ion exchange capacity and they lose ion affinity. When this happens, a concentrated acid and an alkali are introduced into the resin bed. This removes accumulated ions through a process called displacement and at the same time restores H+ and OH- ions in place.

The effectiveness of this process is determined by the resulting water quality itself. Such outcome depends on a few factors. The kind of resins employed affects the process. Some resins are used for softening. Others are for demineralization. The capacity of resin to undergo regeneration is also another factor.

There are a few ways to test the quality of deionized water. This type of water contains much lower amounts of ions as the name suggests. Thus a good way of testing is through the resistivity and conductivity of water that results upon analysis. Water that is pure is never a conductor of electricity. It is the presence of ion impurities that water becomes a conductor. Thus water with extremely low amounts of ions, almost negligible, has an extremely low electrical conductivity. To make this more apparent, the amount of dissolved ions in water determines its conductivity and hence resistivity. Note that resistivity is the inverse, the opposite property of conductivity. The two properties are generally used to determine ion concentration and assess water quality.

A major problem in this process has something to do with temperature. Physics has it that temperature affects water conductivity. Thus the temperature for measuring water conductivity is standardized internationally at 25 degrees Celsius. This allows validity and reliability of data anywhere in the world. Another concern springs from the precision of temperature measurement. Ordinary water has a conductivity that changes by 2% in every degree Celsius rise in temperature. This change in conductivity, however, changes dramatically as the amount of ions decrease. Hence, deionized water samples can have conductivities that change by as much as 10% per °C change. This means that precise temperature is vital.

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Jo is a content writer for 'The-Water-Company.com' (http://www.the-water-company.com), an established UK based high quality water manufacturer for over 30 years, producing products such as deionized water and demineralized water to a wide variety of customers in UK, Europe and all over the world. If you have a high quality water solutions needs then check out The-Water-Company.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/science/a-general-idea-of-deionized-water.html http://www.articletrader.com/science/a-general-idea-of-deionized-water.html Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:07:53 -0500
Another term for deionization is demineralization, thus, demineralised water and deionized water are two similar terms, although the latter is more appropriate. The principle of ion exchange has long been used. Scientists knew about this for ages but only quite recently that this principle has been used extensively for practical purposes. This process has been highly reliable and greatly effective to treat water from minerals, which make water hard.

This process uses resin beads or granules, referred to as ion exchange material or bed, which contains insoluble anions neutralized electrically by sodium cations. This system softens hard water by stripping off calcium and magnesium ions in the water and replacing them with sodium ions.

During the first ion exchange calcium and magnesium ions are removed. This follows the water softening process. Industrial deionization removes positive metallic ions and replaces them with hydrogen ions. Home equipment does not achieve the same process because it releases sodium ions instead. The cations adhere to the ion exchange material. Metallic ions replace a number of hydrogen ions depending on the charge they are carrying. A sodium ion (Na+) replaces one hydrogen ion (H+). Two hydrogen ions are replaced by a calcium ion (Ca++) from the exchange material. An iron (III) ion (Fe+++) displaces three H+ ions. This way the ion exchange material maintains a balance of electrical charges in itself.

The introduction of hydrogen ions into the water results to a higher acidity. This is when the second step in deionization process steps in. The water contains hydrogen ions and remaining anions (negatively charged ions) after the first process.

The second process lets water pass through another unit where an anion exchange occurs. The ion exchange material this time takes negatively charged ions in the water, chloride ions (Cl-) for example, and replace them with hydroxyl ions (OH-). The resulting water contains H+ and OH- ions, which are actually ions composing water. Thus, the two processes mentioned actually demineralise water.

There different types of equipment used in the process. There is single deionization or multiple deionization bed units. The former mixes positive and negative ion exchangers in one tank, while the latter have separate tanks for cation exchangers and anion exchangers.

Industries have wide applications for demineralised water. Pharmaceuticals, leather goods processing, chemical production, and electroplating are some of the industrial applications of this kind of purified water.

An alternative for deionization would be distillation which is a more complex and more expensive process of water purification.

The safety of available water in the world is never guaranteed. This is why purification of water has always been a concern. A large percentage of water available for the public is often contaminated. This contamination comes from industrial and environmental waste. Pathogenic bacteria, heavy metals, and chemicals make water unsafe for human consumption. The health risks of contaminated water cannot be ignored. Reports have it that some liver problems and cancer can be linked to contaminants in water. Contaminants can be microorganisms like parasites and bacteria, or substances, which can be organic or inorganic. Organic substances come from different sources as decaying matter. Inorganic substances come from lots of sources from synthetic fertilizers in farms and infiltrate waterways to toxic lead present in PVC pipes.

There have been issues about drinking pure water because some experts believe that purified water without minerals is harmful to the body. According to them, pure water devoid of ions can cause loss of electrolytes in the body. But that is a simple explanation because their research indicate that loss of bone mineral and essential minerals in tissues can be a result of deionized water consumption. In addition, minerals present in water are beneficial to the human body, that there is no need to demineralise.

However, lots of scientists do not agree. Humans take minerals not from drinking water, which supply extremely minimal amounts of minerals, if anything; and that "minimal amount" is at the point of negligibility. Minerals used by human body come from food.

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Jo is an author and publisher for 'The-Water-Company.com' (http://www.the-water-company.com), a well-known UK based high quality water supplier for more than 30 years, producing products such as deionized water and demineralized water to a wide variety of customers in UK, Europe and the rest of the world. If you have a high quality water solutions needs then check out The-Water-Company.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/science/why-buy-geography-learning-tools-online.html http://www.articletrader.com/science/why-buy-geography-learning-tools-online.html Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:45:19 -0500
Here are three reasons why this is a good idea:

1. The biggest selection. If you want to make the most out of your learning environment you need the right tools. This is why you should be shopping online. If something is available you will be able to find it online.

2. The best prices. Why spend more than you have to on geography learning tools? As you can imagine, a world globe or classroom wall map is going to be much more affordable online than at a local specialty store. If you don't believe this, you should at least compare prices to see how much you can save.

3. The online stores that sell geography learning tools also offer other information that may be help to you and your students. The more you can learn about this subject the better you will be as a teacher or student.

Now do you see why buying geography products online is a good idea? If you are in the market for anything from a globe to a map to workbooks, you need to use the internet to your advantage.

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http://www.geographystoreonline.com/ offers a great selection of geography maps, student atlases and world globes for your classroom needs. From the best beginner maps, primary maps, and classroom wall maps to globes, for schools and geography reference, we are your experts.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/science/the-facts-regarding-the-usage-of-deionized-water.html http://www.articletrader.com/science/the-facts-regarding-the-usage-of-deionized-water.html Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:42:13 -0500
This kind of water we are talking about is usually water in its highly pure form - without minerals or ions dissolved. Water is a very good solvent and the purer it gets the more aggressive a solvent it becomes. Tap water or typical water contains several things dissolved in it. Absurd articles come to discredit deionized water (DI water) as being harmful and will strip your body of minerals and nutrients.

These news articles are untrue. Deionization of water is a purification process that removes ions like calcium, magnesium, sodium and chloride. These ions cause water to become hard and hard water has little value even in household uses. Washing clothes in hard water results in discoloration of the fabric. The removal of ions assures water to be in its purest possible state that can be useful in many household and industrial applications.

Demineralised water is harmless. It cannot be harmful. One can drink this water as much as he wants without ending up in the emergency room. As this water passes through your mouth down to the digestive tract, it will dissolve substances like sugars and ions along the way to become nothing different than plain water. One main probable cause for concern is the resin which acts as an ion exchange material during the deionization process. Resin bed is a favorable ground for bacteria to breed and it also loses some regeneration capacity upon prolonged use, although this one depends upon the kind of material used. In addition, the bacteria that may thrive in the resin beds are relatively harmless. Thus these concerns may not pose serious problems.

One problem about this procedure and the equipment it requires is the cost. The high cost of deionizing water may not be practical to many citizens. There are less expensive purification methods available. The dilemma, however, exists as the more expensive the process the better and safer the water is. For some, a less expensive system of water purification that results to potable water is still convenient.

Lots of bottled mineral water are out in the market and these products contain 1000 ppm (parts per million) of dissolved solids (minerals). They are neither better nor worse than demineralised water. Consequently, there are no proven health risks regarding consumption of DI water.

Deionization removes ions in the water, some of which may even be harmful to human health. Most of the issues thrown against this process say that it strips water's minerals and that it removes the micronutrients that should be present. However, a significant amount of minerals in water does not come from drinking water. In fact, from a nutritional point of view, mineral water and demineralised water is the same, which means that either has no advantage over the other.

Minerals are nutrients needed by the body in small amounts. These are essential to proper body functioning and some are even found in vital bio-molecules. Hemoglobin, bone growth, nerve conduction and muscle function require the presence of minerals which comes in form of ions in the blood stream and tissues.

In the light of the issues lingering against DI water, there is a need to remind everyone that minerals do not and should not come from drinking water. If one were to obtain the needed amount of minerals from drinking water, he would have to drink an amount of water that fills the bathtub. That is outrageous and absurd. Be reminded that these micronutrients come from food such as vegetables, fruits, grains, milk, meat, etc.

So drink your safe, pure water and eat your balanced diet as well.

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Jo is a writer for 'The-Water-Company.com' (http://www.the-water-company.com), a well-known UK stationed high quality water manufacturer for over thirty years, producing products such as deionized water and demineralized water to an extensive range of consumers in UK, Europe and all over the world. If you have a high quality laser cutting water requirement then take a look at The-Water-Company.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/science/what-is-creationism.html http://www.articletrader.com/science/what-is-creationism.html Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:49:47 -0500
It is feasible that there are hundreds of contrasting theories to answer this question - but as we all understand only one of them is able to be correct. One of the more popular is the possibility of Intelligent Design also best-known as Creationism. This is the opinion that God - an intelligent being made the Earth and everything that is in it.

This opinion is established on The Bible - which goes back hundreds of years and was composed by dozens of authors. This book tells us in detail that God created the Earth, plants, solar system, animals, and eventually man in merely six days before resting on the seventh day.

The one point that differentiates this theory from many others is that there is no scientific validation to back it up. Which is why so many scientists do not think that it can be true. In their occupation everything is able to be explained through science or it merely is not correct or even real. However, according to Christians this whole theory of Creationism is based not upon science but on faith.

They do not need facts and fossils to show them that Intelligent Design is the reason of how the Earth was made. Though many of their beliefs come from a book they consider this to be real and that God still does numerous things in our lives today.

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Learn the difference between Creationism And Evolution and why people have a hard time trying to Teach Intelligent Design.


Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/science/glycerol-production--reviews-in-this-recent-development-in-restorable-energy.html http://www.articletrader.com/science/glycerol-production--reviews-in-this-recent-development-in-restorable-energy.html Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:39:24 -0500
Gasoline and diesel belong to the non-renewable type of energy. Simply put, these are resources which cannot be readily replenished, or resources which have a limited supply. The main sources of energy in the world today are coal, oil and natural gas which are called fossil fuels. Unfortunately, fossils fuels are non-renewable. The extraction of fossil fuels from the earth turns out to be more difficult since they are becoming scarcer yet the demand is only becoming more urgent since these fossil fuels are used in nearly all industries from the largest to the smallest.

Therefore the renewable forms of energy have been the topic of many studies and discussions. Innovations in renewable energy generation are taking in the spotlight and seemingly unlikely sources of renewable energy are becoming the newest trend. Among this is glycerol, a byproduct of saponification or the process of soap making and transesterification or the production of biodiesel. Glycerol can be accounted for 10% of the byproducts of biodiesel production. Glycerol is also known by its more commercial terms of glycerin and glycerine.

One of the investigations focusing on glycerol was the one conducted by the researchers at the Oxford University. This group of scientists was able to generate biofuel from glycerol, which is considered to be a waste byproduct in many industries. They have designed a method which turns glycerol into methanol. The process uses metal catalyst to separate the methanol. Today, methanol is mostly derived from natural gas. It is used extensively in industrial chemistry.

Another study was one from the Department of Chemical and Environment Engineering at the University of California, Riverside. The process they have developed was one which combined excess glycerin and excess biomass from biodiesel production to produce flammable pellets for use as an alternative to coal.

A study from the Rice University explored the potential of fermenting glycerol to produce ethanol. Since for each gallon of biodiesel produces approximately 0.75 lb of glycerol, this would be a very practical way to produce energy. The use of microorganisms in the fermentation is the unique feature of this research. The Klebsiella and Citrobacter are glycerol-fermenting species of bacteria while E. coli synthesize glycerol through a respiratory pathway.

One study by the controversial and award-winning Galen Suppes, a chemical engineering professor at the University of Missouri, has come up with a procedure to convert glycerine into propylene glycol. Propylene glycol can be used as an alternative to ethylene propyl. Ethylene propyl is used as antifreeze for cars and other automobiles. It is derived from petroleum and is a toxic chemical. Propylene glycol, on the other hand, is a safe and sustainable substitute.

Biodiesel production has resulted to a large surplus of glycerine. Though glycerine is used in nearly all industries, its use for sustainable energy is a relatively new concept but one which has attracted a lot of attention. Glycerol has a lot of potential in the renewable energy industry because it is inexpensive and economically-sound. Moreover, it has beneficial environmental impacts since it help cut down on the emissions of oxides of nitrogen in the atmosphere, reducing air pollution and its associated effects.

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Jo is a writer for

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/science/montana-schools-open-to-all-student-victims-of-katrina.html http://www.articletrader.com/science/montana-schools-open-to-all-student-victims-of-katrina.html Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:55:23 -0500
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Montana schools may experience the arrival of students leaving the aftermath of destruction. I know Montana schools will open their doors to welcome and help out these students,said Superintendent McCulloch. Schools should treat such students as ‘homeless students' to qualify for federal assistance programs. It is likely that these students will lack school and immunization records. Some will arrive without parents and be living with relatives or friends. The lack of records should not hinder any such student from enrolling immediately. OPI is working with other state education agencies in the Hurricane area to obtain this information.

The federal McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children and youth as Children and youth who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence, including children and youth who are: sharing the housing of other persons due to the loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason. In compliance with this Act, children rendered homeless by the hurricane must be enrolled immediately and placed as appropriately as possible with verbal information from the parent and/or student.

As a homeless child or youth they automatically qualify for and are entitled to all of the federally funded programs offered in a school or district. This includes all of the TITLE Programs as well as IDEA and school lunch programs, noted McCulloch.
Families hosting ‘Katrina refugees may also qualify for free or reduced cost meal programs through the federal Food and Nutrition Service, explained Superintendent McCulloch.

In cases where a household from a designated disaster area moves in with another household, the displaced individuals may be considered homeless and consequently automatically eligible for free meals. The host family will have to apply to be eligible for free or reduced price meal benefits

If there are questions regarding an issue with a child or youth enrolling in and attending class in a district please contact your District Homeless Liaison or contact Terry Teichrow, State Coordinator for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth at 406-444-2036 or tteichrow@mt.gov.

The U.S. Department of Education is asking the Office of Public Instruction to keep track of the numbers of those children and youth who come into Montana. Please keep us informed, by e-mail, of the numbers and status of any students enrolling because of Hurricane Katrina, concluded Superintendent McCulloch. I would like to thank all students and schools who are participating in hundreds of local relief activities to aid the victims of this national disaster.


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Mcmillan is an expert author, who is presently working on the site Katrina Stories. He has written many articles in various topics. For more information about Katrina Aftermath. Visit our site katrinanewsonline.com


Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/science/earthquake-facts-history.html http://www.articletrader.com/science/earthquake-facts-history.html Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:37:21 -0500
2.The largest recorded earthquake in the world was a magnitude 9.5 (Mw) in Chile on May 22, 1960.

3.The earliest reported earthquake in California was felt in 1769 by the exploring expedition of Gaspar de Portola while the group was camping about 48 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of Los Angeles.

4. Before electronics allowed recordings of large earthquakes, scientists built large spring-pendulum seismometers in an attempt to record the long-period motion produced by such quakes. The largest one weighed about 15 tons. There is a medium-sized one three stories high in Mexico City that is still in operation.

5. The average rate of motion across the San Andreas Fault Zone during the past 3 million years is 56 mm/yr (2 in/yr). This is about the same rate at which your fingernails grow. Assuming this rate continues, scientists project that Los Angeles and San Francisco will be adjacent to one another in approximately 15 million years.

6. The East African Rift System is a 50-60 km (31-37 miles) wide zone of active volcanics and faulting that extends north-south in eastern Africa for more than 3000 km (1864 miles) from Ethiopia in the north to Zambezi in the south. It is a rare example of an active continental rift zone, where a continental plate is attempting to split into two plates which are moving away from one another.

7. The first "pendulum seismoscope" to measure the shaking of the ground during an earthquake was developed in 1751, and it wasn't until 1855 that faults were recognized as the source of earthquakes.

8. Moonquakes ("earthquakes" on the moon) do occur, but they happen less frequently and have smaller magnitudes than earthquakes on the Earth. It appears they are related to the tidal stresses associated with the varying distance between the Earth and Moon. They also occur at great depth, about halfway between the surface and the center of the moon.

9. Although both are sea waves, a tsunami and a tidal wave are two different unrelated phenomenona. A tidal wave is a shallow water wave caused by the gravitational interactions between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. A tsunami is a sea wave caused by an underwater earthquake or landslide (usually triggered by an earthquake) displacing the ocean water.

10. The hypocenter of an earthquake is the location beneath the earth's surface where the rupture of the fault begins. The epicenter of an earthquake is the location directly above the hypocenter on the surface of the earth.

11. The greatest mountain range is the Mid-Ocean Ridge, extending 64,374 km (40,000 mi) from the Arctic Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, around Africa, Asia, and Australia, and under the Pacific Ocean to the west coast of North America. It has a greatest height of 4207 m (13,800 ft) above the base ocean depth.

12. The world's greatest land mountain range is the Himalaya-Karakoram. It countains 96 of the world's 109 peaks of over 7317 m (24,000 ft). The longest range is the Andes of South America which is 7564 km (4700 mi) in length. Both were created bythe movement of tectonic plates.

13. It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year. 100,000 of those can be felt, and 100 of them cause damage.

14. It is thought that more damage was done by the resulting fire after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake than by the earthquake itself.

15. A seiche (pronounced SAYSH) is what happens in the swimming pools of Californians during and after an earthquake. It is "an internal wave oscillating in a body of water" or, in other words, it is the sloshing of the water in your swimming pool, or any body of water, caused by the ground shaking in an earthquake. It may continue for a few moments or hours, long after the generating force is gone. A seiche can also be caused by wind or tides.

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Mcmillan is an expert author, who is presently working on the site Indonesia tsunami. He has written many articles in various topics. For more information about natural disaster. Visit our site acehtsunami.com


Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>