Oceans Currents of the World Just as the rays of the Sun warm the air in our atmosphere and create surface winds, the rays also have their effect on the water in the oceans. As we know, the Sun’s rays fall straight at the Equator, this results in a quicker heating of the water in the oceans in that area. As the warm winds blow towards the colder regions, they blow...

Power and Electricity Generation The advancements made by science and technology have not only developed new sources of power but have also increased our dependence upon it. Without power or electricity nothing from our kitchen blender to the heavy industry would work. Electricity can be seen visibly only when the lightning strikes in the skies. Otherwise it is quietly flowing through the wires in our houses in the form of electrons....

Natural Springs of Water Volcanic activity below the Earth’s surface doesn’t only result in eruption of molten lava, it also results in eruptions of hot water springs. In areas where volcanic activity is common, water often seeps into the ground through the rocks and collects underground. Once this happens the underground water gets heated by ground heat and begins to boil. Once the pressure is high enough and steam is built...

The Earth’s Changing Surface It is not only the activity below the Earth’s crust which is changing the Earth’s surface but contributing to the changes are also the effects of weathering and erosion. Both rocks and soil can be worn or eroded away by wind and water. When soil is left bare, strong winds or heavy rainfall carry away the fertile topsoil. Lack of topsoil makes the land infertile and bare....

Earth Resources The rocks on our planet are made up of minerals, in fact there are more than 3000 different minerals which make up the rocks. Even the sand on the beaches contains a mineral called Quartz. Most of these minerals are commonly found but a lot of them, like gold and diamonds, are rare and not found every where. Since minerals are made up of various substances, they can be...

Archipelagos Simply put, an archipelago is an area of a sea or an ocean which contains a cluster of small and big islands. Though many archipelagos can be found all over the world, one of the best and the biggest example is the group of islands which make up the countries of Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines etc. In this area there are over 20,000 small islands spread over more than 5000 kilometres...

Fiords and Atolls After the ice age glaciers flowed down from the mountains, as they moved they cut the mountains to form deep IF or ‘V’ shaped valleys. As the glaciers disappeared these valleys were filled with sea water to form Fiords. Fiords are mostly found along the mountainous coastline and they are shallow closer to the coast but deeper between the mountains. Most of the worlds Fiords are found in...

Deserts  Deserts are formed for various reasons, which include rain shadow deserts which are formed because it rains on one side of a mountain and by the time the air reaches the other side, it is dry. The Gobi desert in Asia is an example of this type. Lack of moisture in other areas, especially around the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn prevents any vegetation from growing. The Sahara desert is...