Tag Archives: America

Fly Geyser

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Fly Geyser

Fly Geyser is a supernatural natural monument.

  • The manmade Fly Geyser is a hot-water geyser located near the town of Gerlach, in the county of Washoe, in Nevada, in the United States.
  • ‘Fly Geyser’ is also known as ‘Fly Ranch Geyser’ and ‘Green Geyser’.
  • Fly Geyser began its life in 1964 after a well was drilled, in the hope it would provide hot water for geothermal energy purposes, however, the water only reached an unsuitable temperature of 93 degrees Celsius (200 degrees Fahrenheit).
  • Soon after the well was either sealed, or left open, in 1964, water escaped from the ground, and has continued over many years, leaving mineral deposits that have formed a mound known as ‘Fly Geyser’.
  • Fly Geyser reached a height of approximately 1.5 metres (5 feet) and spread 3.7 metres (12 feet) in width in 2014, however the Geyser keeps growing in size due to the minerals that exist in the water.
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Fly Geyser
Image courtesy of Ken Lund/Flickr
  • As of 2014, Fly Geyser was located on private land at Fly Ranch, and as a result could not be visited directly without private permission from the owner, who, from 1998, was the Jaksick family, although the geyser can be viewed from the fence line.
  • The water shooting out of Fly Geyser can reach heights of around 1.5 metres (5 feet), and there are multiple spouts in the mound.
  • The yellow, green, orange and red colours of the Fly Geyser is due to the algae that grows on the form, which prefers warm to hot temperatures, as well as the various minerals that are deposited.
  • Occasionally tours are held on Fly Ranch, that have enabled visits to Fly Geyser and another nearby geyser cone that no longer spouts water, however, access to the site has been generally difficult to secure, although there has been talk of opening it to the public, for some time.
  • Water from Fly Geyser has created numerous pools of water on the ground, that have attracted wildlife such as fish and birds.
Bibliography:
Fly Geyser, 2014, Atlas Obscura, http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/fly-ranch-geyser
Fly Geyser, 2015, Road Trippers, https://roadtrippers.com/us/washoe-county-nv/nature/fly-geyser
Fly Geyser, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly_Geyser
McCann J, There she blows: The incredible pictures of a man-made geyser in the middle of the Nevada Desert, 2013, Daily Mail Australia, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2363926/There-blows-The-incredible-pictures-man-geyser-middle-Nevada-Desert.html

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Stargazer Lily

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Stargazer Lily

The stargazer lily really catches your eye.

  • A Stargazer lily is a hybrid flowering perennial plant and is classified as an ‘Oriental’ lily, and it is also known as the ‘Star Gazer lily’.
  • Stargazer lilies are from the Lilium genus, and they have the cultivar name ‘Stargazer’ and are from the Liliaceae family, the family of lilies.
  • The Stargazer lily plant typically grows to heights of 60 to 90 centimetres (29 to 36 inches).
  • Stargazer lilies are commonly used as ornamental or cut flowers, due to their beauty and pleasant fragrance.
  • The flowers of Stargazer lilies are generally coloured light to deep pink, with dark coloured textured spots, and the petals have a white edge.

Stargazer Lily, Pink, Flower, But, Bouquet, Australia, Vegetation, Plant, Lillium, Ten Random Facts

  • The flowers of Stargazer lilies bloom during summer months, and the plant is typically grown from the division of bulbs.
  • The Stargazer lily was bred by a Californian plant breeder, Leslie Woodriff, in the 1970s, and he developed many hybrid lilies and begonias.
  • The flowers of Stargazer lilies are large, growing to be 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 inches) in diameter, and they grow towards the sky, appearing to gaze upwards.
  • The best growing positions for Stargazer lily plants are in full sun in the garden, and they can also be grown in pots.
  • Stargazer lilies contain poison that affect cats, making them sick, and fatalities are also possible.
Bibliography:
Lilium ‘Stargazer’, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilium_’Stargazer’
Lilium ‘Stargazer’, 2015, Fine Gardening, http://www.finegardening.com/lily-lilium-star-gazer
Oriental Lily Lilium ‘Star Gazer’, 2015, Dave’s Garden, http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1427/#b
Lilium ‘Stargazer’, 2015, Perennials.com, http://www.perennials.com/plants/lilium-star-gazer.html

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Popping Candy

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Popping Candy

‘Pop! Pop! Pop!’ goes the popping candy.

  • Popping candy is a confectionery item that notably reacts by fizzing on contact with moisture.
  • ‘Popping candy’ is also known as ‘Pop Rocks’, ‘Space Dust’, ‘Action Candy’ and ‘Cosmic Candy’, all of which have been names of commercially produced versions of the candy.
  • Corn syrup, sugar and lactose are the primary ingredients of popping candy, along with flavours and colours.
  • Popping candy is typically made by allowing the melted mixture of ingredients to come in contact with carbon dioxide gas that has been pressurised, causing small bubbles of the gas to be caught in the confectionery as it cools.
  • On contact with moisture, popping candy makes sounds of crackling and popping, caused by the release of carbon dioxide as the candy melts, usually on one’s tongue.

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  • Popping candy was created in 1956 by William Mitchell, a chemist for the American company General Foods, and it was a failed experiment, as it was originally intended to be a fizzy ‘tablet’ to create an instant carbonated drink, that was not successful.
  • The minuscule bubbles of carbon dioxide in popping candy are able to be seen with the use of a microscope; while the product can be purchased in small sealed packets, and can also be found in chocolate bars and included in other confectionery items.
  • The well known myth that the combination of stomach acid, carbon dioxide and carbonated drinks causes stomach explosions, which surfaced in 1979, was ever only a myth, and was confirmed as such when it was busted by MythBusters in 2003.
  • Popping candy typically looks like small crystals or ‘rocks’, although it can be powdery, and it comes in a wide variety of colours and a number of flavours.
  • Popping candy did not become commercially available until 1975, when General Foods released the product, known as ‘Pop Rocks’, however it was removed from sale in 1983 due to it being a commercial failure, however, the confectionery was later manufactured in the 2000s by various companies, and became a success.
Bibliography:
Hiskey D, Why Pop Rocks Pop, 2011, Today I Found Out, http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2011/01/why-pop-rocks-pop/
Pop Rocks, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_Rocks
Pop Rocks History, n.d, Pop Rocks Candy, http://www.poprockscandy.com/history.html

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Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks

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Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks

‘Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument’. What a mouthful.

  • Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks is a site located in the Sandoval County, near the city of Sante-Fe in the United State’s New Mexico.
  • ‘Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks’ is officially known as ‘Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument’, and ‘Kasha-Katuwe’ refers to the cliffs’ white colour, in the native Keresan language.
  • Tall cliffs, made primarily of igneous rock, make up the area of the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks, and they are a likely result of a prehistoric volcanic eruption.
  • Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks was declared a national monument in early 2001 by the then US President, Bill Clinton.
  • A variety of rock formations can be found at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks, such as tall columns with cone shaped tops, known as ‘hoodoos’ or ‘tent rocks’, caused by rain and wind erosion.
Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks, Place, National Monument, New Mexico, Central America, White, Triangle, Ten Random Facts, Flickr
Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks
Image courtesy of Bureau of Land Management/Flickr
  • The tent rocks at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks range in height from 1 to 27.5 metres (3 to 90 feet) and various wildlife may be seen in the area.
  • A stark white landscape is created with tuff and pumice rock at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks, and canyons also exist at the site.
  • Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks features various length walking tracks that range from easy to more difficult, and the site is generally accessible to the public during daylight hours, while a small fee is payable at the entrance.
  • Dogs are forbidden at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks, ever since the ban was placed in 2009, and other restrictions are also in place.
  • Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks covers an area of 18.8 square kilometres (7.3 square miles) and is governed by the US Bureau of Land Management.
Bibliography:
Isom S, Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument in New Mexico, 2015, About.com, http://gosw.about.com/od/newmexicotravelguide/a/tentrocks.htm
Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasha-Katuwe_Tent_Rocks_National_Monument
Kelley S, Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, 2014, New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources, https://geoinfo.nmt.edu/tour/federal/monuments/tentrocks/home.html

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Katy Perry

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Katy Perry

“If you’re presenting yourself with confidence, you can pull off pretty much anything.” – Katy Perry

  • Katy Perry is a famous, internationally successful singer, actress, guitarist and songwriter, with a net worth of more than 40 million USD as of 2014, and has donated financially to causes such as health, welfare and animal cruelty.
  • Katy Perry was born on 25 October, 1984, as Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, in California’s Santa Barbara, in the United States, to Christian parents who were both pastors in a Pentecostal church, and ‘Perry’ was her mother’s maiden name.
  • Rock and popular music are Katy Perry’s main genres, and she has released the top singles ‘Roar’, ‘Dark Horse’, ‘Firework’, ‘E.T.’, ‘Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)’, ‘Wide Awake’ and others, and by the end of 2014, she had released four albums.
  • Katy Perry was raised with music choices being limited to gospel style, although she discovered her friends’ secular music during her teenage years and is said to have smuggled the albums into her home.
  • The first album released by Katy Perry was named ‘Katy Hudson’, in 2001, and ultimately was a failure; the gospel-themed album selling roughly 200 copies before the record company closed.

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Katy Perry
Image courtesy of Eva Rinaldi/Flickr
  • Katy Perry became an international sensation in 2008 on release of her controversial and number one song ‘I Kissed a Girl’, followed up by a top three hit, ‘Hot n Cold’.
  • Katy Perry is complimented on her skillful social media use, and in 2014, the number of her Twitter followers reached 50 million, making her the most followed member ever, at the time, and by early 2015, her followers had reached 67 million.
  • Katy Perry was briefly married to Russell Brand from 2010 until he divorced her just over a year later, which is said to have caused temporary suicidal thoughts on Perry’s part.
  • Katy Perry first entered the film industry when she was chosen for the voice of Smurfette from The Smurfs (2011), and she has also featured in a self-titled autobiographical film.
  • Katy Perry’s third album ‘Teenage Dream’ of 2010 produced five top singles, which was unheard of since the legendary Michael Jackson, and Perry has received 5 American Music Awards, 3 Guinness World Records and 14 People’s Choice Awards, among others.
Bibliography:
Katy Perry, 2015, IMDb, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2953537/bio
Katy Perry, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katy_Perry
Katy Perry Biography, 2015, Bio.com, http://www.biography.com/people/katy-perry-562678

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Blue Lake Grotto

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Blue Lake Grotto

Watch the sparkling beauty of Blue Lake Grotto.

  • Blue Lake Grotto is a cave that contains a large clear lake, located near Bonito, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, in south western Brazil, in South America.
  • Blue Lake Grotto was designated as a natural monument, and therefore a protected area, by the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage), or IPHAN, in 1978.
  • The official name of ‘Blue Lake Grotto’ is ‘Gruta do Lago Azul’, in the native Portuguese language.
  • The water of Blue Lake Grotto is coloured a deep, transparent blue, and while the preferred months for viewing it are from September to February, the best are said to be December and January, due to the way the sunlight shines into the cave.
  • Blue Lake Grotto is one of the largest discovered caves at least partially submerged in water in the world, and the lake has a length of 50 metres, and visitors are required to descend 100 metres to reach the base of the cave.

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Part of Blue Lake Grotto
Image courtesy of Patty Ho/Flickr
  • The first discovery of the Blue Lake Grotto by humankind is believed to have occurred in 1924, by a native Terena Indian.
  • Blue Lake Grotto contains water levels that reach depths of up to 90 metres (295 feet), with an underground river the likely source of water.
  • In 1992, a French Brazilian team discovered numerous fossil bones of many extinct mammals, including sabre tooth tigers and giant sloths, lying at the bottom of the lake in the Blue Lake Grotto.
  • Blue Lake Grotto is the home to numerous stalactites, stalagmites and other limestone formations, and the lake is said to contain a number of crustaceans.
  • Blue Lake Grotto attracts many tourists and researchers alike, although the limited number of visitors each day are required to be guided by a tour guide, and touching the water or rock formations in the cave is prohibited.
Bibliography:
Gruta do Lago Azul, 2013, Wikipedia, http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruta_do_Lago_Azul
Gruta do Lago Azul, 2015, Lonely Planet, http://www.lonelyplanet.com/brazil/the-central-west/bonito/sights/natural-landmarks/gruta-lago-azul
Gruta do Lago Azul, n.d, Portal Bonito, http://www.portalbonito.com.br/guia-passeio/grutas/gruta-do-lago-azul
Gruta do Lago Azul: Blue Lake Grotto, 2014, Atlas Obscura, http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/gruta-do-lago-azul-the-blue-lake-grotto

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