Earth Science

A quirk of geology makes the Midwestern United States a perfect spawning ground for powerful tornados. The unique arrangement of North America’s mountain ranges creates the world’s most prolific source of severe weather, commonly known as “Tornado Alley.” Most of…
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The power and destruction of one hurricane is enough to cripple a large city. But imagine what the effect of two hurricanes rotating as one would be. This is the phenomenon called the Fujiwhara effect. Best described as a stormy…
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When you think of seawater, you probably think of ocean waves rolling up onto a beach and the taste of salt you get when you swim in the sea. Seawater can contain almost anything, since water runs off the land…
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Perhaps it is worth remembering the historic voyages of Thor Heyerdahl in his reed boat, known as the Ra expeditions. Thor Heyerdahl had more of a chance to take a closer look at the Atlantic Ocean while he was sailing…
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A squall line is a long line of thunderstorms. They are formed by a common lifting mechanism. So what are those lifting mechanisms? They include fronts, gravity waves, outflow boundaries, and isentropic lifting. Squall lines normally form in conditions of…
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Most people are familiar with the notion that thunderstorms occur due to extreme convection, rapidly rising columns of air which produce cumulonimbus, anvil shaped, clouds which can reach a height of 10,000 meters. Often, the heating of the land by…
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The first alloys were made sometime during prehistoric times, perhaps soon after people first learned about metals. These alloys were made of metals that were bountiful and easy to melt, i.e. copper, lead, tin, and zinc. Bronze, being the first…
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A gentle breeze floats softly atop your head, then picks up speed with each passing moment. Darkness ensues, accompanied by a whirling wind that shakes the otherwise solid ground that you stand on, sending shivers down your spine, and making…
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For every living being, from a bacteria, to a Blue whale, life begins at birth, grows with food, reproduces at maturity, and dies to become nutrients for the whole from which it came. This is called The Circle of Life. …
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The “White Plague” that people have been familiar with for centuries is actually a vernacular term for tuberculosis, but borrowing it to describe the unpleasant effects of a hail storm might be appropriate. Hail does not kill as many people…
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