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Seashells

January 2nd 2008 13:17
Seashells are very often found in beach drift, which is deposited along strandlines on beaches. These shells are often washed up empty and clean, the animal having already died, and the soft parts having rotted away or having been eaten by other creatures. This is how most shells are found by beachcombers, and collecting these shells is a harmless hobby.

Below are pictures from a collection of Sea Shells from all over the world. You can see more photos here.


Beautiful seashells



Sea Shell Collection


Pictures of Seashells


Seashell collection hobby



many different sea shells from all over the world





*These images used with permission from Damn Funny Pictures.
**This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Seashell.

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Amazing Archaeological Finds

December 17th 2007 12:02
Here are the most incredible, important and significant archaeological finds of all time!!

If only they were real...
If you like these you can see some more here.


Alien body found in ice
Alien body found in ice


Gabriel the Archangel with sword
Angel


Old Dilbert cartoon
First ever Dilbert cartoon


Giant's skeleton body found
Gulliver?


Woolly Mammoth frozen in ice
Woolly Mammoth frozen in ice


Mermaid Skeleton found buried
Mermaid





*These images used with permission from Damn Funny Pictures.

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California Wildfires of October 2007

November 5th 2007 12:43
The California wildfires of October 2007 are a series of wildfires that began burning across Southern California on October 20; the massive firestorm prompted the largest evacuation in American peacetime history - four times the number evacuated from Hurricane Katrina. At least 1,500 homes were destroyed and over 270,000 acres of land have burned from Santa Barbara County to the Mexican border.

As of October 24, 18 active fires were burning in the region. Ten people have died and at least 70 others have been injured.

Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven California counties where fires were burning. President George W. Bush has declared that an emergency exists in the State of California and has ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts. Over 6,000 fire-fighters are working to fight the blazes; they are aided by units of the United States Armed Forces and United States National Guard.

The major contributing factors to the extreme fire conditions are the drought in Southern California, the hot weather, and the unusually strong Santa Ana winds. The winds are believed to have knocked down power lines, triggering several of the fires.

One fire is known to be the result of arson; one was started by an overturned semi-truck. The causes of the remaining fires remain under investigation.


Socal Fires 2007


Southern California Wildfires


Forrest Fires in California. October 2007


SoCal Wildfires


California fires





*These images used with permission from Damn Funny Pictures.

**This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses material from the Wikipedia article California wildfires of October 2007.
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Amazing Photography

September 14th 2007 14:34
Rather than focussing on anything specific, today let's just admire some incredible photography!


Beautiful church photo


Awesome photos of tulips


Amazing Photography - Scenery


Amazing pictures - Pigeons


Underwater photography




*These photos used with permission from Damn Funny Pictures.
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Sailing stones

August 31st 2007 11:02
sailing stones - racetrack - Death Valley California

The sailing stones, also referred to as sliding rocks or moving rocks, are a geological phenomenon found in Racetrack Playa, Death Valley. The stones slowly move across the surface of the playa, leaving a track as they go, without human or animal intervention. They have never been seen or filmed in motion and are not unique to The Racetrack. Similar rock travel patterns have been recorded in several other playas in the region but the number and length of travel groves on The Racetrack are notable.
moving rocks - racetrack - Death Valley California

Racetrack stones only move once every two or three years and most tracks last for just three or four years. Stones with rough bottoms leave straight striated tracks while those with smooth bottoms wander. Stones sometimes turn over, exposing another edge to the ground and leaving a different-sized track in the stone's wake.
sliding stones - racetrack - Death Valley California

Most of the so-called 'sailing stones' originate from an 850 foot (260 m) high hillside made of dark dolomite on the south end of the playa, but some are intrusive igneous rock from adjacent slopes (most of those being tan-coloured feldspar-rich syenite). Tracks are often tens to hundreds of feet (low to high tens of meters) long, a few to 12 inches (8 to 30 cm) wide, and typically much less than an inch (2.5 cm) deep.
death valley moving rocks

A balance of specific conditions are thought to be needed for stones to move:

1. A saturated yet non-flooded surface,
2. Thin layer of clay,
3. Very strong gusts as initiating force,
4. Strong sustained wind to keep stones going.
Death Valley Sliding Rocks







*These photos used with permission from Damn Funny Pictures.

**This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Sailing stones.
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Iguazu Falls

August 27th 2007 11:25
Iguazu Falls

Iguaçu Falls are spectacular waterfalls of the Iguazu River located on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones. They divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu.
Iguazu Falls Argentina Brazil

[ Click here to read more ]
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Snow Blower Train

August 17th 2007 11:59
Snow blowers, also known as rotating snowploughs or snow cutters, can be used in place of snowploughs on winter service vehicles. A snow blower consists of a rapidly spinning blade which cuts through the snow, forcing it out of a funnel attached to the top of the blower. Snow blowers typically clear much faster than ploughs, with some clearing in excess of 5000 tonnes of snow per hour, and can cut through far deeper snow drifts than a snowplough can. In addition, snow blowers can remove snow from the roadway completely, rather than piling it at the side of the road, making passage easier for other road users and preventing the windrow from blocking driveways. However, snow blowing is an energy intensive and environmentally unfriendly process, producing higher levels of air pollution and noise pollution than other methods of snow removal.

Below are pictures of a heavy duty snow blower train, clearing the track for other trains


[ Click here to read more ]
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Yellowstone National Park

June 18th 2007 08:38
Yellowstone National Park is the centrepiece of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest intact ecosystem in the Earth's northern temperate zone. Yellowstone became the world's first national park on March 1, 1872. Located mostly in the U.S. state of Wyoming, the park extends into Montana and Idaho. The park is known for its wildlife and geothermal features; Old Faithful Geyser is one of the most popular features in the park.

Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,472 square miles (8,987 km²), comprising lakes, canyons, rivers and mountain ranges. Yellowstone Lake is the largest high-altitude lake in North America and is centred over the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest super volcano on the continent. The caldera is considered an active volcano; it has erupted with tremendous force several times in the last two million years. Half the world's geothermal features are in Yellowstone, fuelled by this ongoing volcanism. Lava flows and rocks from volcanic eruptions cover most of the land area of Yellowstone


[ Click here to read more ]
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Beautiful Sunsets

June 13th 2007 11:26
Sunset, is the time at which the Sun disappears below the horizon in the west. It should not be confused with dusk, which is the point at which darkness falls, some time after the beginning of twilight when the Sun itself sets.

The red hues of the sky at sunset and sunrise are caused by Mie Scattering. This is one of the reasons that sunset is considered the most beautiful time of day, and why sunsets are so often photographed


[ Click here to read more ]
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Dry Seas

June 8th 2007 12:08
Could it be the drought?
Could it be Global Warming?
Could it be natural tidal movements?

[ Click here to read more ]
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Beaches

May 25th 2007 12:05
Below are some beautiful high quality pictures of beaches around the world that you can save as desktop backgrounds. Click on each image to open a larger version, then right click on the large image to save it as your wallpaper.


[ Click here to read more ]
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Forest Wallpapers

May 23rd 2007 11:28
Below are some beautiful high quality pictures from various forests around the world that you can use as wallpapers. Click on each image to open a larger version, then right click on the large image to save it as your desktop background.


[ Click here to read more ]
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Amazing Garden

April 20th 2007 06:43
This garden is very impressive with some amazing pruning and sculpting. See more pictures here.


[ Click here to read more ]
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Avalanche

April 2nd 2007 12:07
An avalanche is a very large slide of snow (or rock) down a mountainside, caused when a buildup of snow is released down a slope, and is one of the major dangers faced in the mountains.
Snow avalanches occur when the load on the upper snow layers exceeds the bonding forces of a mass of snow (bonding to layer beneath, horizontal internal stability, support from anchors such as rocks and trees, stress support from top or bottom of slope).
A large avalanche can run for many miles, and can create massive destruction of the lower forest and anything else in its path. For example, in Montroc, France, in 1999, 300,000 cubic metres of snow slid on a 30 degree slope, achieving a speed of 100 km/h (60 mph). It killed 12 people in their chalets under 100,000 tons of snow, 5 meters (15 feet) deep


[ Click here to read more ]
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