Posts Tagged ‘geology’

The White Sands of Cancun’s Beaches

Monday, March 5th, 2012

What is it about the feeling of warm sand softly sliding between the toes? Is it the fineness of the grains? The sun-soaked warmth? Maybe it’s the notion that each tiny granule could have been part of a vast mountain range thousands of miles away, or even part of a sparkling underground cavern. Beach sand is a wonderful place to enjoy the sun. Simply smooth out the perfect spot, lay down a blanket and get comfortable! Let the stresses of life become one with the sand as it runs through your fingers. Watch the waves roll along the beach, bringing more sand on to land with each swell. Enjoy the heat of the sun, the salty aroma of the sea and the quiet murmurings of your own thoughts.

Inevitably the mind will wander, perhaps questioning the physical components of Cancun’s beach sand. Is it the same kind found in the Pacific Northwest of North America or the Atlantic coasts of Morocco and Portugal? What makes red sand red and white sand white? How does it get into my hair even if I didn’t lie down or go in the water? Is it possible to tell how old a handful of sand really is, geologically? Well, if you are lying on a beach in Cancun asking these questions and find yourself pulling out the tablet computer, look no further! We have the answers here!

According to Wikipedia, sand is a “naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.” Obviously the structure of sand is determined by local rock sources and the composition of the rock itself. For example, most sand found inland and on beaches in non-tropical areas is primarily quartz. The chemical composition of silica-based rocks such as quartz, make them extremely hard wearing and therefore resistant to weathering. The sands of Southern European beaches are heavily enriched with quartz crystals made impure by iron deposits, making the sand appear dark yellow.

The tropical beaches of the Riviera Maya are more of a bright white, solely due to the vast amount of limestone deposits throughout the region. In fact many of the natural features around Cancun are due to the limestone. Like the cenotes, perfectly round holes in the ocean floor where the roof of underground limestone caverns have caved in. Unique little ecosystems take up residence in the cenotes, as they provide a protected shelter for life to prosper.

Yet the sand of Cancun also contains granules gradually worn from the ancient coral reefs far off shore, as well as fragments of colorful shells. So, when you are lying there fingering the those tiny little gems of geological history, let your mind wander to the places the sand may have traveled in its journey to your hand.

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Tenerife – the beautiful Island

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

The island where spring never ends.

Getting on for 6 million tourists come to Tenerife annually. Over a million people live here. Some of our guests are what you might call regulars, some visit us only once. But if you were to question visitors and residents about the beauties and wonders of the island, only a small number actually get to see and enjoy all this amazing place has to give.

This huge and many would say beautiful island has been pushing up out of the earth since the place we call Europe came into being. It still pushes and forces, sometimes causing volcanic bursts of activity, sometimes earthquakes, sometimes massive movements of land. Living memory has no fatalities, but the science of volcanoes and earthquakes is in it’s infancy, the residents of Tenerife watch and wait, under the shadow of the Atlantic’s tallest mountain. Who know’s if it has more growth in it, or whether like some other volcanic peaks it’s set to fall into the see or sunder into pieces.

This tectonic and volcanic activity has led to the islands being a geologists and naturalists dream. A rucksack carrying naturalist can study flora and fauna that could normally encountered across thousands of miles, on view here in a mornings brisk hike. Desert, tropical vegetation,alpine like scenery and not forgetting the moonscape of Teide, can all be found here in close proximity to one another. The huge movements of earth and the incredible temperatures have forged rock formations and geographic features that please both the tourist and the professional geoglogist – all in an area the size of Greater London.

Level with Arizona, the sea saves us from the heat of summer and at night keeps us warm. A low rain at sea level but ample rainfall in the mountains, means Tenerife is lush in places and never given to drought. It is in the way of neither storms or monsoons (unlinke other less fortunate places at this latitude). It has mild almost non-existent winters and the sea gives itself to water sports during all months of the year.

This cooling sea of home to many types of fish as well as large sea mammal. Whales, dolphins and sea turtles are common just of the coast. Hundreds of species of plant live here in the many varied microclimates that the islands topography has provided. Tenerife is home to numerous unique plant regions and sub-regions, making it a very special place for tourist and scientist alike.

About 50 percent of the island is placed under protection from the Canary Island Network for the purpose of Defended Organic Regions. We have Forty three places under exceptional safeguard. We have the national park of Teide but in addition 2 rural safeguarded parks at Anaga and Teno, 4 natural reserves and special natural parks, 9 specifically safeguarded areas no fewer than 14 natural preserved monuments, together with Half a dozen locations of specific scientific safeguards.

Nature has given us so much, and thankfully we on Tenerife seem to be willing to protect our gifts. We now ask you why don’t you come and spend some time with us on our beautiful island home?

Looking to find the best information about Tenerife tourism, then visit us at Eze Group Tenerife, your experts for everything the island has to offer.

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The Phenomenal Bay of Fundy

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

Tour Atlantic Canada’s Bay of Fundy and experience one of the world’s most striking and lively coastal areas!

Home to the highest tides in the world, the Bay of Fundy is a 270 km (170 mile) long sea bay that stretches between the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on Canada’s east coast. Each day 100 billion tonnes of seawater flows in and out of the Bay of Fundy during one tide cycle. That’s more than the flow of all the planet’s freshwater rivers combined!

Visitors can see two extreme high and low tides each 24 hours. The period between a high tide and a low tide is, on average , six hours and 13 minutes. As such, you can normally expect to see at least one high and one low tide during daylight hours. Tide times move ahead roughly one hour each day , and tide times vary a bit for different locations along the Bay. Check with the community you are preparing to visit for accurate low and high tide time schedules.

Bay of Fundy cuisine is not to be skipped! Lobster, mussels, smoked salmon, scallops, and other fresh fish are perfect complements to Fundy’s prize-winning wines. In addition to conventional harvest of wild blueberries and maple products, Fundy bistros, inns and farm markets feature a large range of fresh fruit and plants. If you dare, sample Fundy’s popular eatable seaweed snack: Dulse!

Attractions displaying Fundy’s dynamic ecology and geology are spread through-out the region. Such crown jewels of the Fundy seascape include national and provincial parks, coastal hiking trails, natural history museums, lighthouses and tide harbours. The region’s culture and history are celebrated at Fundy interpretation centres, historic sites, museums, horticultural display gardens, and artisans’ studios.

Experience real Fundy hospitality with accommodations celebrating the Bay’s rich architectural heritage. Choose from a broad range of full service hotels, characteristic country hotels, historic bed and breakfasts, and wonderfully made coastal cottages.

Meet the locals of the Bay of Fundy as they preserve, celebrate, and share the earth’s most dramatic and varied tidal environment. It is a visitor experience not like any other on earth!

For more Bay of Fundy facts and info about the Bay of Fundy tides, visit bayoffundy.com

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The Outstanding Bay of Fundy

Saturday, September 3rd, 2011

Visit Atlantic Canada’s Bay of Fundy and explore one of the planet’s most dramatic and dynamic shores!

the highest tides in the world, the Bay of Fundy is a 270 km (170 mile) long ocean bay that stretches between the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on Canada’s east coast. Every day 100 billion tons of seawater flows out and in of the Bay of Fundy during each and every tide cycle. That’s more than the flow of all the earth’s freshwater rivers combined!

Visitors can see two extraordinary high and low tides each 24 hours. The time between a high tide and a low tide is, normally six hours and 13 minutes. As such, you can reasonably expect to see 1 high and one low tide during daylight hours. Tide times move ahead roughly sixty minutes everyday and tide times change somewhat for different locations around the Bay. Check with the community you are planning to visit for accurate low and high tide time schedules.

Bay of Fundy cuisine is not to be skipped! Lobster, mussels, smoked salmon, scallops, and other fresh fish are perfect complements to Fundy’s prize-winning wines. In addition to conventional harvest of wild blueberries and maple products, Fundy bistros, inns and farm markets feature a large range of fresh fruit and plants. If you dare, sample Fundy’s popular eatable seaweed snack: Dulse!

Attractions demonstrating Fundy’s dynamic ecology and geology are spread through-out the area. Such crown jewels of the Fundy seascape include national and provincial parks, coastal hiking trails, natural history museums, lighthouses and tide harbours. The region’s culture and history are celebrated at Fundy interpretation centers, historic sites, museums, horticultural display gardens, and workmen’ studios.

Experience real Fundy hospitality with accommodations celebrating the Bay’s rich architectural heritage. Choose from a broad range of full service hotels, characteristic country hotels, historic bed and breakfasts, and wonderfully made coastal cottages.

Band together with the people of the Bay of Fundy as they celebrate, share, and preserve the earth’s most dramatic and diverse tidal environment. It’s a visitor experience unlike any other in the world!

For more Bay of Fundy facts and info about the Bay of Fundy tides, visit bayoffundy.com

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The geology of Santorini

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

Santorini is the name of a Greek island found in the Aegean Sea which sits around 200km south east of mainland Greece, and 120km north of the Greek island of Crete. It is among the grouping of volcanic rocks known as the Cyclades, which can be dated to 60 million years old. The nature of the volcanic rock, and also the positioning of it make it a very interesting place, if you are a geologist. This article is a quick look at some of the salient features of Santorini’s geological history.

Santorini the island is part of a group of islands that bears the same name, and save for a small non-volcanic area in the south east, they are all volcanic and have been formed at some point in the last two million years by volcanic activity. Some of this activity has been explosions that have been powerful enough to form caldera. Two of these islands, Palea and Nea Kameni, were formed after the Minoan eruption and the subsequent collapse of the magma chamber. Nea Kameni is still an active volcano which actually erupted in the 1950s.

The South Aegean Volcanic Arc stretches 500km, and is 20 – 40 km wide; and of all of it Santorini is the most active section. In this area the subduction of the African tectonic plate under the Eurasian plate creates many earthquakes deep beneath the surface that characterise the area. These quakes have caused the eruptions that have shaped the last two million years in this area.

The oldest rocks, and therefore evidence of the earliest activity, are visible on the Akrotiri peninsula of Santorini. These rocks are made of dacitic lava that have updomed the sea floor, and are still clearly visible. The marine fossils embedded in them lead to the conclusion that they are at least 2 million years old.

The most recent leg of this geological history has actually been observed by humanity, and documented by historians. This was first done by the ancient writer Strabo, who wrote about the eruptions in the area, telling of the formation of a new tiny island in 197 BC. Since then there have been eight eruptive cycles which have lead right by until 1950.

Find out more about Santorini hotels.

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The geology of Gran Canaria

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

The Canary Islands are an archipelago situated atop something known to geologists as a ‘hot spot’, meaning an area of the mantle that is much hotter than elsewhere. This location is actually what explains how the islands were formed, and also gives an explanation of their volcanic properties, for when the African and South American tectonic plates moved apart, the mantle plume which causes the hot spot caused volcanic rock to be pushed to the surface.

This long process began around 15 million years ago, and it was beneath the ocean that the land of Gran Canaria began to form. At which point there was a massive collapse and the ‘Tejeda Caldera’ was formed, evidence of which can still be seen on the island now.

For a few million years after this, the Caldera filled up with lava and other volcanic rock, and then there was a period of nothing but erosion spanning around 3 million years. This carried on until around 4.5 million years ago, when from this point until 3.5 million years ago, there were massive explosive eruption. This was again followed with another period of nothing much happening.

The most recent eruption to occur on Gran Canaria is that of the Caldera de Bandama which happened around 1,970 years ago, the Montaon Negro at 2,970 years ago and the Caldera de Pinos de Galdar 2,830 years ago. It has not been confirmed, but there may have been an eruption as little as 1000 years ago in the Berrezales area. The island is now in the Post-Erosional stage.

Gran Canaria has an extremely long volcanic history (15 million years) and has been through many volcanic cycles, which has resulted in its being a region where the most variation in types of volcanic rock can be found out of any other volcanic region in the world.

Discover the best cheap holidays Gran Canaria.

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