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Geography fun facts and oddities: Difference between revisions
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# [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_T%C5%8Dhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami 9.1 2011 Dhoku, Japan earthquake & tsunami (wiki)]] | # [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_T%C5%8Dhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami 9.1 2011 Dhoku, Japan earthquake & tsunami (wiki)]] | ||
# [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1730_Valparaiso_earthquake 9.1-9.3 1730 Valparaiso, Chile earthquake (wiki)]] | # [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1730_Valparaiso_earthquake 9.1-9.3 1730 Valparaiso, Chile earthquake (wiki)]] | ||
[[File:East vs West Coast Earthquakes USGS.jpg|right|200px|thumb|This map shows that East Coast earthquakes travel much farther than West Coast earthquakes of similar magnitude (wiki)]] | [[File:East vs West Coast Earthquakes USGS.jpg|right|200px|thumb|This map shows that East Coast earthquakes travel much farther than West Coast earthquakes of similar magnitude (wiki)]] | ||
* see Tsunami section below for the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami | |||
* '''2011 Virginia earthquake''' | * '''2011 Virginia earthquake''' | ||
** this 5.8 magnitude earthquake, centered in Louisa County, Virginia, was felt as | click EXPAND for details, map & earthquake video at top of the Washington Monument | ||
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** this 5.8 magnitude earthquake, centered in Louisa County, Virginia, was felt as far as New England, Canada, Michigan and Alabama and Florida | |||
** the reason the tremors were so widely felt is that the U.S. East Coast has extensive bedrock that transmits shock waves across extensive distances, whereas less geologically stable areas do not transmit shock waves as far. | ** the reason the tremors were so widely felt is that the U.S. East Coast has extensive bedrock that transmits shock waves across extensive distances, whereas less geologically stable areas do not transmit shock waves as far. | ||
* See [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Virginia_earthquake Virginia earthquake, 2011 (wiki)]] | * See [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Virginia_earthquake Virginia earthquake, 2011 (wiki)]] | ||
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=== Rocks === | === Rocks === | ||
* '''Devil's Tower''' | * '''Devil's Tower''' | ||
* click EXPAND for details on Devil's Tower | * click EXPAND for image and details on Devil's Tower | ||
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[[File:Devils Tower Darton 1900.jpg|thumb||200px|Devils Tower, 1900 (wiki)]] | |||
** a butte formation in Wyoming that abruptly juts out of the landscape 1,267 ft high | ** a butte formation in Wyoming that abruptly juts out of the landscape 1,267 ft high | ||
** the name comes from an English misinterpretation of the Native American name for it | ** the name comes from an English misinterpretation of the Native American name for it | ||
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* '''Independence Rock''' | * '''Independence Rock''' | ||
[[File:Oregon Trail's Independence Rock 1870.gif|thumb|200px|right|Oregon Trail's Independence Rock 1870 (wiki)]] | [[File:Oregon Trail's Independence Rock 1870.gif|thumb|200px|right|Oregon Trail's Independence Rock 1870 (wiki)]] | ||
* click EXPAND for details | * click EXPAND for details and more images of Independence Rock | ||
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[[File:Independence Rock, Wyoming, USA, July 2015.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Independence Rock, Wyoming, USA, July 2015 (wiki)]] | [[File:Independence Rock, Wyoming, USA, July 2015.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Independence Rock, Wyoming, USA, July 2015 (wiki)]] | ||
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* '''Pompy's Tower" (Pompey's Pillar National Monument)''' | * '''Pompy's Tower" (Pompey's Pillar National Monument)''' | ||
* click EXPAND for details and image of Pompey's Pillar | |||
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[[File:Pompeys_Pillar_NM_(9424545304).jpg|right|thumbnail|200px|Pompey's Pillary National Monument (wiki)]] | [[File:Pompeys_Pillar_NM_(9424545304).jpg|right|thumbnail|200px|Pompey's Pillary National Monument (wiki)]] | ||
* rock formation rising from the Montana plain | * rock formation rising from the Montana plain | ||
* 150 ft tall, located near the Yellowstone River | * 150 ft tall, located near the Yellowstone River | ||
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** [[https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/sinkholes?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects SinkHoles (USGS.gov)]] | ** [[https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/sinkholes?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects SinkHoles (USGS.gov)]] | ||
** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinkhole Sinkhole (wiki)]] | ** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinkhole Sinkhole (wiki)]] | ||
=== Tsunamis === | |||
* [[File:NOAA Tsunami Animation-2016.webm||right|thumb|NOAA Tsunami Animation-2016]] | |||
* '''2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami''' | |||
** 9.1 magnitude earthquake caused a 900-mile fault line between the Indian and Burnma tectonic plates | |||
** as a result of the shift, the ocean floor rose upwards 10 feet, trigging up to 100-foot high tsunamis that spread across the entire Indian Ocean | |||
* occurred on Dec 26, 2004, so is also known as the "Christmas" or "Boxing Day" earthquake and tsunami | |||
click on EXPAND for more on the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami | |||
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[[File:Seisme Sumatra CADRE.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Epicenter and associated aftershocks]] | |||
* the earthquake was the 3rd-largest and single longest (8-10 minutes) ever recorded | |||
** it triggered other earthquakes around the world | |||
* the epicenter of the quake was 100 miles off the coast of Sumatra (the largest island of Indonesia) | |||
* the Indian Ocean floor rise was permanent and consequently the world's entire ocean surface rose by 0.004 inches | |||
* 227,898 people were killed by the tsunami | |||
** the Indonesian cities of Banda Aceh and Lhoknga, at the northwest corner of Sumatra, were completely destroyed | |||
*** 167,000 people were killed in Banda Aceh and over 7,000 people in Lhoknga | |||
*** the largest waves to hit Lhoknga were 98 ft high | |||
[[File:PLTD Apong Ie Beuna.JPG||right|250px|thumb|Apung 1, a 2,600-ton vessel, was flung some 2 km (1.2 mi) to 3 km (1.9 mi) inland. In the years following the disaster, it became a local tourist attraction and has remained where it came to rest.]] | |||
*** a large ship was carried almost 2 miles inland (and remains there as a memorial) | |||
[[File:2004 Indian Ocean earthquake - affected countries.png|right|250px|thumb|Countries affected]] | |||
* tsunami waves reached Sri Lanka, 1,100 miles away, two hours after the quake, killing approx. 35,000 people | |||
* almost 8,000 people were killed in Thailand, 500 miles away | |||
* the waves extended across the Indian Ocean, hitting India, Madagascar and the African mainland | |||
* sources: | |||
** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake_and_tsunami 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami (wiki)]] | |||
** [[https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2004-indian-ocean-earthquake-tsunami-facts 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami: Facts, FAQs, and how to help (WorldVision.org)]] | |||
** [[https://www.history.com/news/deadliest-tsunami-2004-indian-ocean The 2004 Tsunami Wiped Away Towns With 'Mind-Boggling' Destruction (History.com)]] | |||
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== Name origins (etymology) == | == Name origins (etymology) == | ||