Minerals

A starburst or red tourmaline stands out against its white surroundings. Tourmaline is the name for a group of related minerals; red tourmaline also can be called rubellite. Semiprecious gemstones, tourmalines belong to a family of borosilicate minerals. They come in a range of colors from red to black and are found from Madagascar to Maine.
Photograph by Scott Camazine/Alamy

The needle-like crystals of this mesolite deposit from India give it a dandelion's form. Its crystalline structure formed inside a bubble of volcanic gas as igneous rock cooled. Mesolite's many striking crystal formations make it a popular mineral for collectors.
Photograph by Natural History Museum/Alamy

Mammoth Cave in Kentucky contains gypsum formations that mimic flowers. The mineral gypsum contains calcium sulfate (calcium, sulfur, oxygen) and water. The gypsum precipitates out of water in the cave, creating these subterranean forms over time.

Mineral deposits in Lechuguilla Cave take on fantastical forms in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico. Stalactites of calcite and a small aragonite formation appear as if in a magical backdrop. Calcite and aragonite are the two crystal forms of calcium carbonate, a property of minerals geologists call dimorphism. Their crystal structure sets them apart: calcite forms hexagons and aragonite forms rhombohedrons.

Azurite crystals from Arizona seem to pulse with color. The mineral azurite—a copper ore—consists of blue basic carbonate. Azurite's brilliant color adds to its popularity in creating semiprecious stones.
Photograph by Steve Hamblin/Alamy

Mineral deposits add color to the landscape. Minerals have existed since the very beginnings of the Earth, forming as our planet cooled. Many form deep beneath the Earth's surface, but some are found on the surface.
Photograph by Thinkstock/Corbis

A volcano in Java, Indonesia, produces yellow deposits of sulfur that prove to be easy but dangerous pickings for a man collecting the mineral. Sulfur often combines into sulfides or sulfates. The nonmetallic element heals and destroys: Doctors use sulfur to treat fungal infections, but it is also a component of gunpowder. Sulfuric acid is an important industrial agent.
Photograph by Kirk Treakle/Alamy

A pink chalcedony shows off its beauty. Chalcedonies include many types of cryptocrystalline quartz gems and feature a number of different colors. Geologists can tell a chalcedony from the arrangement and structure of its crystals.
Photograph by blickwinkel/Alamy



Link website

Ice melt decreasing over time

You can watch the extent of Arctic Ice melt decreasing over time. Here's a great satellite image time series video done by NASA that shows the year-to-year melting of sea ice in the Arctic.

Take action at home

10 good ideas for a start




1. Switch to renewable energy

Buy non-polluting green electricity from your electricity company. If they don't sell it, can you change power companies to one that does? Get your school, company or community to buy renewable energy, too.

2. Buy energy efficient appliances
If you're buying a washing machine, refrigerator, dish washer or oven, buy the most energy-efficient model you can afford. They might be more expensive but they pay for themselves through lower energy bills. The same is true for office equipment like computers, copiers, printers.
Look out for appliances on at http://www.topten.info (Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium) or the Energy Star label (US).

3. Fluorescent lamps are cheaper in the long run
Replace the lights you use most with compact fluorescent lamps. They cost more than ordinary lamps but you end up saving money because they use only around one-quarter of the electricity to prove the same light. And they last four times as long as a normal light bulb!

4. Avoid stand-by and turn off lights
Turn off televisions, videos, stereos and computers when they are not in use - they can use between 10 and 60% of the power they use when on "stand by". Turn off lights when you don't need them - it saves energy already after a minute or two. Turn off computer screens when you take a break.

5. Wash economically
Use the washing machine or dish washer only when you have a full load. Use washing powder suitable for low temperature washes and use economy programmes.

6. About your fridge
Don't leave fridge doors open for longer than necessary, let food cool down fully before putting it in the fridge or freezer, defrost regularly and keep at the right temperature. Where possible don't stand cookers and fridges/freezers next to each other.

7. Getting around and on your way to work and school
When you want to make short journeys, try walking! Use a bicycle for short trips and local shopping. It keeps you fit too and is fun too! Make more use of public transport, such as buses and trains, for longer journeys. Share care journeys with work colleagues or friends - up to a third of car mileage is accounted for by the drive to work.

8. About your car
If you have to buy a car, buy a fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly one. This will save you money and keep more CO2 from going into the atmosphere. Make sure that your tires are inflated correctly - this can save you 5% on the cost of your petrol. Turn off your engine when waiting in your car.

9. Reduce your air travel
When you travel to your holiday destination by plane you are contributing to significant emissions of climate change causing carbon dioxide. So take vacations nearer to home, or get there by other forms of transport such as train, bus or boat. If you have to fly, consider buying carbon offsets to compensate for the emissions caused by your flight.

10. Enjoy the sun! :-)
Fit solar panels on the roof of your home. Turn your own home into a clean power station!

We can all do something right away.
And if we all do, something will undoubtedly change.

Earth Hour

Cities already listed to participate in Earth Hour 2009 include Cape Town, Chicago, Copenhagen, Dubai, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Las Vegas, Lisbon, London, Los Angeles, Manila, Mexico City, Moscow, Nashville, Oslo, Rome, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, and Warsaw.

On this special night, the world will witness some of the most recognisable landmarks on the planet dim the lights in support of decisive action on climate change. Icons switching off include the world’s tallest hotel building in Dubai - the Burj Dubai, the tallest free-standing structure in the Americas - the CN Tower in Toronto, Moscow's Federation Tower and in Rome - Quirinale - the official residence of the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano.

Auckland's Sky Tower - the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere will go dark, joined by Australia’s iconic sails of the Sydney Opera House and across in Cape Town, South Africa, the iconic Table Mountain will mark Earth Hour by turning off its flood lights.

Pollution is generallyy defined as the release of harmful environmental contaminants. Pollution can take two major forms: local pollution and global pollution. In the past, only local pollution was thought to be a problem. For example, coal burning produces smoke and in sufficient concentrations can be a health hazard. One slogan, taught in schools was "The solution to pollution is dilution". In recent decades, awareness has been rising that some forms of pollution pose a global problem.

Traditionally, serious pollution sources include chemical plants, oil refineries, nuclear waste dumps, regular garbage dumps (many toxic substances are illegally dumped there), incinerators, PVC factories, car factories, plastics factories and corporate animal farms creating huge amounts of animal waste.

Lead is still the single most important chemical toxin for children and is probably the best known example of a neurotoxin to which children are particularly vulnerable. Their special vulnerability to lead is related to their exposure (hand–mouth activity, ingestion of paint chips),the fact that upon exposure children absorb four times more lead than adults, and their susceptibility at a critical period of brain development.

Children may be exposed to lead in leaded petrol from car emissions, water contaminated by lead pipes, old paint, emissions from factories, contaminated soil and food contaminated by environmental sources (including improperly glazed ceramic ware for cooking and food storage).

Lead particles can move with water, soil, dust and wind. The neurotoxic effects of lead depend on the exposure level and the stage of nervous system development at the time of exposure. Studies have documented that developmental exposure to lead can adversely affects several specific brain functions, resulting in particular in learning disabilities, attention deficit, poor motor coordination, and inadequate language development. Do a thorough check of your home and always watch what your children are putting in their mouths.