Tag Archives: Rocks

Zion National Park

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Zion National Park

Zion National Park is a park of many habitats.

  • Zion National Park is a natural park found in the area adjacent to Utah’s Springdale, in the United States of America.
  • Zion National Park covers an area of 593 square kilometres (229 square miles), and features forest, desert and riverside habitats, with sandstone canyons and steep cliffs, waterfalls and gorges.
  • ‘Zion National Park’ was originally named ‘Mukuntuweap National Monument’, issued when it was first protected in 1909, by the then president of the United States, William Taft.
  • Zion National Park’s indigenous name was changed to ‘Zion National Monument’ in 1918, as the former name was not favoured, due to Mormon folk who had occupied and previously referred to the area as ‘Zion Canyon’.
  • The highest peak of Zion National Park is named Horse Ranch Mountain, reaching a height of 2,660 metres (8,726 feet).
Zion National Park, Sunset, River, Rocks, Water, United States of America, Ten Random Facts, Flickr
Part of Zion National Park
Image courtesy of Rene Schwietzke/Flickr
  • Zion National Park has a varied climate, with snow in the winter and hot, desert-like summer temperatures, as well as storms and flash flooding.
  • Zion National Park is said to have been first visited by Europeans in 1776, by Franciscan priests Silverstre Escalante and Francisco Domínguez, while in the mid 1800s the area was explored, and in the early 1860s Mormon farmers established agriculture enterprises in the area with produce like sugar cane, tobacco and fruit.
  • Zion National Park is hit by floods each year due to high rainfall, and the water removes up to a combined total of 2.7 million tonnes (3 million tons) of earth and stone from the canyon area via the Virgin River annually.
  • Many species of animal reside in Zion National Park, like the fox, coyote, jay, deer and squirrel, and there are more than 65 mammal species, over 200 bird species, almost 30 reptile species and a number of water creatures, as well as much flora, including cacti and pine and at least a thousand other species of plants.
  • Zion National Park is visited by up to 3 million tourists annually, and rock-climbing, horse-riding, bird watching and hiking are popular activities.
Bibliography:
Zion National Park, 2014, National Geographic, http://travel.nationalgeographic.com.au/travel/national-parks/zion-national-park/
Zion National Park, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_National_Park
Janiskee, B, Would You Love Zion National Park As Much If It Were Called Mukuntuweap National Park?, 2008, National Parks Traveller, http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2008/07/would-you-love-zion-national-park-much-if-it-were-called-mukuntuweap-national-park
Zion: Nature and Science, 2014, National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/zion/naturescience/index.htm

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Great Blue Hole

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Great Blue Hole

Don’t fall down the Great Blue Hole.

  • The Great Blue Hole is an underwater sinkhole or cave, located near Belize of Central America, in the Lighthouse Reef.
  • The Great Blue Hole is 300 metres (984 feet) in diameter, the largest of known blue holes in the world, and it measures 124 metres (407 feet) in depth.
  • The Great Blue Hole is part of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System that became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
  • In 1971, explorer and naval officer, Jacques Cousteau from France, publicised the Great Blue Hole as one of the best scuba sites in the world.
  • The Great Blue Hole is the home to numerous limestone formations that are affected by karst phenomena, including stalactites.
Great Blue Hole, Cave, Water, Central America, Natural, Wonder, Amazing, Belize, Reef, Ten Random Facts, FlickrThe Great Blue Hole
Image courtesy of Eric Pheterson/Flickr
  • The Great Blue Hole is the home to many species of fauna that live around the reef that surrounds the outer rim of the hole, including the occasional reef shark.
  • The Great Blue Hole is a popular tourist destination and diving site, due to its great size, clear water, cave formations, and surrounding wildlife, and snorkeling is also popular.
  • The Great Blue Hole is said to have been originally a cave above sea level, that eventually filled with water and collapsed.
  • The Great Blue Hole can be viewed from the air, or accessed via watercraft, and boats can only anchor in specific areas, as they have caused reef damage in the past.
  • The official depth measurement of the Great Blue Hole was recorded in 1997 by the Cambrian Foundation, and the expedition’s primary focus was to collect seafloor samples from the hole.
Bibliography:
Blue Hole Natural Monument, 2008, Belize Audubon Society, http://www.belizeaudubon.org/?page_id=3603
Great Blue Hole, 2014, Atlas Obscura, http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/great-blue-hole
Great Blue Hole, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Blue_Hole

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Yellowstone National Park

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Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is a magical place.

  • Yellowstone National Park is a protected reserve, the majority of which is located in Wyoming, a state in the north-western United States of America.
  • Yellowstone National Park was first declared a national park on 1 March, 1872, by then president Ulysses Grant, and is said to be the first designated national park on earth, and it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978.
  • Yellowstone National Park covers an area of 8,983 square kilometres (3,468 square miles), and is filled with water bodies, rock formations and a variety of habitats.
  • Yellowstone National Park has a notably large lake at high altitude that covers America’s biggest super volcano and the largest caldera in the world, while the caldera spans a distance of 45 kilometres by 75 kilometeres (27 miles by 45 miles), and is said to be still active, and has shaped much of the surrounding land.
  • Yellowstone National Park features up to 465 active geysers of the 1280 or so that exist in the park, including the famous ‘Old Faithful Geyser’, and they total approximately 66% of the world’s total number of geysers, and the park also boasts 10,000 geothermal features, of which the world has approximately 20,000.
Yellowstone National Park, Grand Prismatic Spring, Hot Spring, Tree, Valley, Amazing, Beautiful, Ten Random Facts, Flickr, North America,
Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park
Image courtesy of Frank Kovalchek/Flickr
  • Yellowstone National Park is hit by minor earthquakes annually by the thousands; one of the greatest being a 7.5 magnitude quake that created a lake due to a dam collapse in 1959.
  • Yellowstone National Park is the home to 1700 native flora species, such as trees, as well as the endemic Yellowstone sand verbena; 311 bird species and approximately 60 mammal species, including wolves, elks, bison, grizzly bears and lynx.
  • Forest fires commonly occur in Yellowstone National Park annually, generally caused by lightning, and the fires are necessary events for the park’s habitat.
  • Yellowstone National Park is visited by approximately two million tourists annually, that are catered for by hotels, lodges and cabins that as a whole, contain more than 2,000 rooms, as well as campgrounds with more than 2,000 campsites.
  • Yellowstone National Park can be accessed and driven through in automobiles, and there are hiking paths totalling 1770 kilometres (1100 miles) in length.
Bibliography:
Yellowstone National Park, 2014, Montana, http://www.visitmt.com/national_parks/yellowstone/
Yellowstone National Park, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_National_Park
Yellowstone National Park, 2014, World Heritage Convention UNESCO, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/28

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Metéora

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Metéora

Metéora is a mystical location of amazing architecture.

  • Metéora is a group of six remaining monasteries, of the 24 that were built in the area, located on the outskirts of the Plain of Thessaly, in central Greece.
  • The monasteries in Metéora are built atop sandstone rock cliffs that reach up to 400 metres (1312 feet) in height.
  • The first residents of Metéora were hermit monks, most likely in the 11th century, who sought refuge from Turkish armies in the caves during this period.
  • The Metéora monasteries were mostly constructed during the 1300 and 1400s, as a safe haven for monks and nuns who felt threatened by the political instability that was apparent in the area at the time.
  • Lengthy ladders, and ropes or nets were originally used to access the monasteries at Metéora, and there is now cable car access to some sites, although it wasn’t until the early 1900s that steps carved from rock were added for convenience.
Meteora, Rocks, Pillars, Religion, Monastery, Greek, Ten Random Facts, Flickr, Place,
Part of Metéora
Image courtesy of Antonio Picascia/Flickr
  • Metéora’s rock pillars are believed to have been formed by tectonic movement and erosion by wind and water.
  • ‘Metéora’ means ‘suspended in the air’ or similar, in Greek, and the monasteries and the cliffs they sit upon have been used in. or inspired literature, music and film.
  • Metéora covers an area of 2.72 square kilometres (1.05 square miles) and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
  • Metéora has a large temperature range that varies from very cold to very hot, and has significant quantities of rain throughout the year.
  • Metéora is a popular tourist destination, visited by thousands annually, and to access the sites, steps or rock climbing are the two main options.
Bibliography:
Meteora, 2014, UNESCO WHC, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/455
Meteora, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteora
Meteora: The most photogenic spiritual site in Greece, 2014, Visit Greece, http://www.visitgreece.gr/en/destinations/meteora_the_most_photogenic_spiritual_site_in_greece

Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve

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Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve

The Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve is quite mystical.

  • Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve is a reserve that primarily contains numerous stone pillars, and is found in Asia’s China, in the Hunan Province, in the Zhangjiajie area.
  • Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve covers an area of 67 square kilometres (25.87 square miles).
  • ‘Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve’, also called ‘Tianzishan’, was named after Xiang Dakun, a Chinese man who took on the name ‘Tianzi’, meaning ‘son of heaven’, after leading a successful rebellion some time between 1127 and 1279.
  • Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve’s pillars are mostly very tall and narrow, and the highest peak reaches 1,262 metres (4,140 feet).
  • Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve is most picturesque during April, May, September and October.

Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve, Painting, Illustration, Mist, China, Park, Scenic, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Illustration of Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve
Image courtesy of Stephanie/Flickr
  • Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve is full of valleys, waterfalls and erect rock peaks, and the area is said to have inspired some of the scenery from the popular 2009 Avatar film.
  • Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve peaks can be seen via cable cars, which span a distance of 2.1 kilometres (1.3 miles).
  • Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve rock pillars are made primarily of quartzite sandstone.
  • Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve is part of the Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area, that was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.
  • Many pine trees grow on the top of the rock peaks of Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve.
Bibliography:
Tianzi Mountain, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianzi_Mountain
Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve, 2014, China Travel, http://www.chinatravel.com/zhangjiajie-attraction/tianzi-mountain-nature-reserve/
Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve, 2014, TravelChinaGuide.com, http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/hunan/zhangjiajie/tianzi-mountain.htm

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Yosemite Valley

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Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley is a very scenic place.

  • Yosemite Valley is a valley located in the United State’s California, in the mountainous region of Yosemite National Park.
  • Yosemite Valley covers a length of approximately 13 kilometres (7.5 miles) and is about 1.6 kilometres (1 mile) wide and is surrounded by up to 1.46 km (0.9 mile) high granite cliffs.
  • Yosemite Valley features numerous walking tracks and rock climbs, and is a popular tourist destination, attracting approximately 2.8 million visitors per year in 2012.
  • Yosemite Valley is populated by pine trees, and is the home to numerous creeks, waterfalls and meadows.
  • Yosemite Valley is said to have been originally filled by numerous glaciers, which in turn flattened the valley floor, causing it to be a U-shaped glacial valley.
Yosemite Valley, Part of, Scenery, Clif, Trees, America, united States, California, Ten Random Facts, Flickr
Part of Yosemite Valley
Image courtesy of CJ Travel Tips/Flickr
  • Yosemite Valley is home to much wildlife – fauna including squirrels, deer, bears, coyotes, salamanders, skinks, bobcats and rattlesnakes; and flora including wildflowers and shrubs.
  • Besides rock climbing and hiking, Yosemite Valley offers many other activities, including ice skating in winter, fishing, cycling, birdwatching, and swimming.
  • In 1864, Yosemite Valley was declared a protected landmark, via a bill by Abraham Lincoln (president of the United States at the time), that made it the first protected natural place by a federal government, and it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 as part of the Yosemite National Park listing.
  • Yosemite Valley has numerous rock falls each year, some of which have fallen from significant heights, caused fatalities, registered on seismographs, flattened thousands of trees, damaged buildings and caused huge dust clouds.
  • There is a fee to enter the national park that Yosemite Valley is located in, and the valley has lodges, cabins, camping areas, shops, a museum, post office, art centre and many other facilities.
Bibliography:
Cary R, Yosemite Valley, 2006, Yosemite National Park, http://www.yosemitehikes.com/yosemite-valley/yosemite-valley-hikes.htm
Yosemite Valley, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Valley

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