Monthly Archives: October 2008

Mesa and butte

Junction Butte in Canyon-lands National Park, Utah. Part of the Colorado Plateau, the landscape of sedimentary sandstone in this area was eroded into countless canyons, mesas, and buttes by the Colorado River and its tributaries Spanish explorers in the mid-sixteenth … Continue reading

Posted in Landforms | 1 Comment

Layers of Earth’s Atmosphere

The temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere varies with altitude; the mathematical relationship between temperature and altitude varies among five different atmospheric layers (ordered highest to lowest, the ionosphere is part of the thermosphere): Exosphere: from 500 – 1000 km (300 … Continue reading

Posted in earth, Environment | 3 Comments

Greenhouse gas 4 times higher than thought

Levels of a powerful greenhouse gas are four times as high as previously thought, according to new measurements released on Thursday. New analytical techniques show that about 5,400 metric tons of nitrogen trifluoride are in the atmosphere, with amounts increasing … Continue reading

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Canyons

Canyons exist below the rim of the land, below the horizon. These ragged scars on the face of the planet descend hundreds to thousands of feet below their surrounding landscape, giving it depth. Their widths may stretch for miles or … Continue reading

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