on December 10, 2022
Bold theory: the earth’s parts are moving!
Geology and GeographyDuring a conference of the Geological Society in Frankfurt, the meteorologist and polar researcher Alfred Wegener put forward a daring theory: According to him, the continents move on the earth. Colleagues of the geology express themselves skeptically to rejecting. If Alfred Wegener had claimed that the Earth was a disc, he would hardly have caused
on December 8, 2022
Storm in space
Geology and GeographyA solar storm raced towards Earth on Saturday at a speed of 800 kilometres per second. So far, there has been no significant damage to the technology in space. But the danger has not yet been averted: A solar storm can cause the Earth’s magnetic field to oscillate for days. Last Thursday, a solar eruption
on December 8, 2022
Doom and gloom in Stuttgart
Geology and GeographyA total solar eclipse is not something you experience every day. The people of Stuttgart were all the more disappointed when a thick cloud cover blocked their view of the black sun. And instead of sunglasses, umbrellas were unpacked, because at the time of the eclipse, heavy rain was pelting down. The event lasted only
on December 8, 2022
Unbelievable: amateur chemist decomposes water!
Geology and GeographyIt is a sensation for science: water can be split into two parts. The French banker and amateur chemist Antoine Laurent de Lavoisier (born 26 August 1743) proved this in an amazing experiment. A year before his experiment, Lavoisier had already heard from England that water could be split into two gases. The British nobleman
on December 8, 2022
Tsunami disaster in Japan
Geology and GeographyThe seaquake that shook the seabed off the coast of Japan on Friday, 11 March 2011, has had devastating consequences. The quake triggered a tsunami more than 10 metres high, which rushed towards the coast at several 100 kilometres per hour. The water flooded a 1000-kilometre-long coastal strip and left a picture of devastation. It
on December 8, 2022
Dream islands before the sinking
Geology and GeographyRising sea levels could soon be the Maldives’ undoing. If climate change is not stopped, most of the islands will be under water by 2100. President Mohamed Nasheed wants to draw attention to this threat. That is why he went diving with his cabinet. It was a spectacular action: Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed jumped into
on December 8, 2022
Titanic rammed by iceberg
Geology and GeographyThe passenger ship “Titanic” sinks in the night from 14 to 15 April 1912. A few hours earlier, the Titanic rams an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Around 1,500 people die in the shipwreck. Around 700 are rescued, most of them women and children. It is the first voyage of the luxury steamer Titanic, which
on December 8, 2022
The rising Earth
Geology and GeographyTopsy-turvy world – the Earth rises above the lunar horizon. On Christmas Eve 1968, the American astronaut William Anders took this famous photo. Together with Frank Borman and James Lovell, he circled the moon several times on the Apollo 8 mission. When their space capsule came out from behind the moon again during one of
on December 8, 2022
Deadly tornado
Geology and GeographyA tornado leveled the small town of Joplin in the US state of Missouri on Sunday. More than 100 people died, hundreds were injured and many are still missing. The tornado swept through the middle of the town, aerial photos show a ten-kilometre-long and one-kilometre-wide path of devastation. The storm caused severe damage in many
on December 8, 2022
Dance on the volcano
Geology and GeographyIt is the most active volcano on earth: Kilauea in Hawaii. Since 1983, it has been spewing lava from craters and fissures, creating a magnificent natural spectacle. Kilauea measures 1247 metres, and its older siblings Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea even tower more than 4000 metres above the sea. It is about 200,000 years since