Tag Archives: Earth

Aluminium

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Aluminium

Aluminium or aluminum

  • Aluminium is a widely used, soft, light, durable metal.  It is silvery, gray or white in colour and has a metallic look.
  • Aluminium makes up 8% of the weight of the earth’s crust.
  • Aluminium is generally found combined, in different minerals – over 270 of them.
  • Aluminium is high in heat and electricity conduction.
  • Aluminium doesn’t corrode very easily.

Aluminium Roll, Aluminum, Ten Random Facts

  • Aluminium is hard to extract from ore, like bauxite.
  • Aluminium can be fully recycled without losing any of its qualities.
  • Australia is the one of the major produces of the major aluminium ore, bauxite.
  • In 2005, the global production of aluminium was 3.19 billion kilograms (31.9 million tonnes).
  • Ancient Greek and Romans used aluminium salt to stop bleeding of cuts.
Bibliography:
Aluminium 1 December 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium>

Floods

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Floods

Floods are real bad!

  • Floods are the world’s deadliest natural disaster and happens when water overflows its usual gathering place.
  • The deadliest known flood in history was the China flood in 1931, which killed 2.5 – 3.7 million people.
  •  Flash floods are floods that appear quickly and are short and destructive and normally take place on slopes and mountains.
  • Flooding brings diseases and chemicals to towns which can kill many people.
  • The most common ways people die due to floods, are when people try to cross flood waters, or are trapped in their house.

2010 -2011 December - January Warwick Floods, Queensland Australia floods, Condamine river, Ten Random Facts, Broken road, bridge

  • Sometimes the government purposely floods other areas to avoid mass destruction of  high populated areas.
  • Sloped flood barriers, normally steel or plastic, sand bags, walls and bridges are used to help defend flood waters.
  • When evacuating from floods, boats are typically used, although sometimes people are air lifted via helicopter.
  • People should not enter flood waters due to the dangers of diseases, underground hazards or sea animals, including sharks.
  • People use computers and 3D maps to help predict where floods will appear and there extent, as well as flood likeliness in a particular area.
Bibliography:
Mason, P 2011, Floods, Macmillian Library, Australia

Silver

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Silver

Silver is pretty, white and shiny.

  • Silver is harder than gold but softer than copper, and is approximately 2.5 on the hardness Mohs Scale.
  • Silver conducts electricity and heat better than any other metal.
  • Silver is one of the only materials that absorbs oxygen, which enables it to rid substances of germs and bacteria.
  • Silver can be beaten into sheets, drawn into threads and modelled.
  • The alloy, mixture of chemical elements, of silver is called electrum.

Silver necklace, Blue Flowers, Ten Random Facts

  • The main producers of silver are currently Peru, Bolivia and Mexico.
  • Silver in its natural state can be found mixed with gold or other ores like copper, zinc or lead, and is rarely found without contaminants.
  • Sterling silver is the mix of 7.5% copper with silver.
  • Silver was popularly used in many ancient coins, and is now used in medical equipment, some medicines, jewellery, silverware, medals and in the photography industry.
  • Silver is currently worth $32.13 Australian dollars per ounce.
Bibliography:
Blackwood, A 1979, Gold and Silver, Wayland Publishers Limited, England
Silver 20 November 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver>

Terracotta Army

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Terracotta Army

A pottery army – who would have heard of such a thing? Well it is true!

  • The Terracotta Army is made from terracotta clay and was built around 210 BC.
  • The Terracotta Army is in China and was discovered by Chinese farmers in 1974.
  • There are 6000 figures in the Terracotta Army which are all ready for war and including horses, foot soldiers, officers and chariots.
  • All of the Terracotta Army were equipped with real life items like weapons.
  • All of the men in the Terracotta Army were 1 foot taller then average real life men.

Terracota Army, Warriors, China, clay, Shi Huangdi, Ten Random Facts, Public Domain Pictures

Terraccota Army
Image courtesy of Peter Griffin/Public Domain Pictures
  • The Terracotta Army was owned by the first emperor, Shi Huangdi, who is now dead and is in his tomb.
  • Every single person of the Terracotta Army was modelled after a real person meaning every model is different.
  • The Terracotta Army was built because the first emperor believed in afterlife and wanted people to protect him.
  • Anyone who helped build or knew about the Terracotta Army was buried alive.
  • The Terracotta Army has usefully taught people about the Ancient China battle formations.
Bibliography:
Saldais, M & Easton, M 2002, Sose Alive 1, John Wiley & Sons, Australia

Buff-banded Rail

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Buff-banded Rail

Buff-banded Rail – interesting name!

  • The Buff-banded Rail is also known as the Banded Landrail or Rail and its scientific name is ‘Gallirallus philippensis’.
  • The Buff-banded Rail is from the specie group ‘ralligae’ or the rails, and there are 26 total subspecies of the Buff-banded Rail, including those which are extinct.
  • The Buff-banded Rail is found throughout most of Australasia.
  • A Buff-banded Rail is normally 28-33 cm when fully grown.
  • The Buff-banded Rail has high pitch double cheeps.

Buff Banded Rail, Banded Landrail, Bird, Val Laird Designs, Ten Random Facts

 Photo courtesy of Val Laird
  • The Buff-banded Rail lives near water and rainforests.
  • The Buff-banded Rail is a shy but terrestrial bird
  • Buff-banded Rail flick their tails frequently.
  • The Buff-banded Rail feed on invertebrates, small vertebrates, seeds and fallen fruit and vegetables.
  • The nest of a Buff-banded Rail is usually constructed with grassy or reddish foliage situated near the water, and usually contains 5-8 eggs.
Bibliography:
Buff-banded Rail4 October 2012 , Wikipedia,  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buff-banded_Rail>
Pizzey, G 1997, Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, Angus&Robertson, Australia

Stonehenge

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Stonehenge

Stonehenge, large Stonehenge.

  • Stonehenge is a large, circular rock structure in Wiltshire, United Kingdom. 
  • It is believed that the construction of Stonehenge started around 3000 BC – 2000 BC and was built for religious purposes.
  • Stonehenge was declared a World Heritage Site in 1986.
  • Stonehenge is owned by ‘The Crown’, the Royal Family.
  • Stonehenge is believed to to have taken 1500 years to build.

Stonehenge monument, structure, burial place, rocks, bluestone, Ten Random Facts, Free Digital Photos

The Stonehenge
Image courtesy of Matt Banks / Free Digital Photos
  • Stonehenge is a burial place with approximately several hundred burials in the vicinity.
  • William Glowland started a big restoration project on Stonehenge in 1901, which has lasted many years.
  • In British mythology,  it is believed that Stonehenge’s stones were carried by giants.
  • Stonehenge stones, bluestone and sarsen, were from the Preseli mountains, south-west Wales and Marlborough Downs, north Wiltshire.
  • Stonehenge was made from approximately 60 stones that made up the bluestone circle but many have been removed or are broken.
Bibliography:
History15 November, Stonehenge.co.uk, <http://www.stonehenge.co.uk/history.php>
Stonehenge 12 November 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge>
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