world-biggest

Highest Waterfall In The World

2008-09-13T08:36:00.004+07:00

Angel Falls (Salto Ángel) in Venezuela is the highest waterfall in the world. The falls are 3230 feet in height with an uninterrupted drop of 2647 feet. Angel Falls are located on a tributary of the Rio Caroni. The falls are formed when the tributary stream falls from the top of Auyantepui (a tepui is a flat-topped structure surrounded by cliffs - similar to a mesa).

www.angel-falls.com

www.angel-falls.com

CIA Factbook

Satellite Image of Angel Falls - Image by geology.com using NASA Landsat data

Source : http://geology.com/records/highest-waterfall.shtml

Ten Deepest Cave

2008-09-11T10:44:00.005+07:00

Image via Plamen Stoev

Long ago, our ancestors were using caves as shelter from wild animals and the forces of nature. Perhaps, this base necessity however, has always been eclipsed by man’s curiosity and desire to explore the mystical and enigmatic air inside the abyss. In the past, Environmental Graffiti has explored some amazing uses of caves – from discotheques, temples and underground cities to hotels and primary schools. That’s only scratching at the surface however. Today, with all sorts of equipment, caving has turned into something of an extreme sport - it involves climbing, crawling and sometimes even swimming. Looking at the most extreme end then, what about those caves that create the enigma, that fuel the stuff of legends; caves that appear bottomless and that seem to extend to the very center of the earth? What are the ten deepest caves on our planet?

10. Cehi 2

Slovenia’s deepest cave was mapped by Italian explorers from the Club Alpino Italiano of Trieste. They published a very interesting document, called Progressione 50: although it’s in Italian, you can see how the expedition went inside the Cehi 2 (or Ceki 2). The cave, which is in the Canin Massif, is located in the Western Julian Alps, on the Italian-Slovenian border. The alpinists managed to go as deep as 4928 feet (1502 m). To put this in perspective, the depth is over twice the height of the tallest man-made structure in the world.

Image via 1, 2

9. Sima de la Cornisa - Torca Magali

This is a caving system in the Picos de Europa mountains in Spain. An international team of speleologists including Valencian Silvino Villa and the Belgian Jan Masschelein explored the cave last summer and managed to go down, in what they call a “bottomless pit”, to 4944 feet (1507 m).

Image via 1

8. Shakta Vjacheslav Pantjukhina

As you notice from the next few items on the list, the Bzybsky Massif in Georgia is renowned and very rich in caves. More than 400 are present and just one of them that made it to our list of the deepest caves in the world is the Shakta Vjacheslav Pantjukhina. It’s 4948 feet (1508) m deep.

Image copyright 1

7. Sarma

The seventh deepest cave in the world is in the Caucuses range, in Abkhazia, Georgia and it goes down up to 5062 feet (1543 m). Speleologists that attended the expeditions from December 18, 2007 to January 12, 2008, mentioned that Sarma has the biggest potential to surpass Voronja and break the world record for being the deepest cave. They are still exploring the interior of this unfathomable enigma

Images via 1

6. Torca del Cerro del Cuevon also known as T-33 and La Torca de las Saxifragas

Together, these two form the deepest cave in Spain. Located in the Picos de Europa mountains in the northern coast of the country, there are very few entrances to the cave, thus rendering it incredibly difficult to explore, so much so, that is considered to be the most technically difficult in the world. It took explorers 3 days to go to 5213 feet (1589 m) down

Images via 1

5. Reseau Jean Bernard

Also known as the Gouffre Jean-Bernard or simply Jean Bernard, this is a 5256 feet (1602m) deep cave in the French Alps, in Samoëns. The cave has at least 8 entrances and was first discovered by the Groupe Vulcain back in 1959. Until 1980, it was considered to be the deepest cave in the world. Despite this, professional cavers consider the Jean Bernard not very interesting to climb.

Images via 1

4. Vogelshacht and Lamprechtsofen

A Polish Expedition (pdf link) connected the two caves: Vogelshacht and Lamprechtsofen, located in the Leoganger Steinberger area, in Salzburg, Austria. The cave system has so far been proven to be 5354 feet (1632 m) deep. Incredible really, that’s over a mile. Notwithstanding this, explorations continue, so this could be only the tip of the iceberg.

Images via Jochen Duckeck/showcaves.com, 2, 3

3. Gouffre Mirolda

From 9 to 12 January in 2003, an expedition exploring the Gouffre Mirolda cave in France, found that it was connected with the Lucien Coudlier, breaking the record for the world’s deepest cave . The cave measured 5685 feet (1733m) while the world record at the time was 5610 feet (Voronja cave). It was the first cave to be explored below 1 km. The record however, was beaten within a matter of years

Images via 1, 2

2. Illuzia-Snezhnaja-Mezhonnogo

Two times larger than the world’s deepest cave, the Illuzia-Snezhnaja-Mezhonnogo cave is the second deepest in the world. Located on the Bzyb massif in Abkhazia, Georgia, the cave is renowned for being dangerous and very difficult to work in.

Images via 1

A team lead led by Aleksey Shelepin, in July 2007, came out with a very spectacular discovery giving birth to the cave system Illuzia-Sneznaja-Mezonnogo. Apparently there are two caves, Illuzia (Illusion) and Sneznaja (Snowy), that connect together and go down 5,751 feet (1,753 meters).

1. Krubera-Voronja Cave

Also known as the Cave of Kruber, Voronja is the deepest cave in the world with recent measurements extending to a total depth of 7188 feet (2191 m). It was the first cave to be explored to a depth of more than 2 km down

Images via 1, 2, 3

On August 5th 2007, an international expedition with 56 members went in and the interesting thing is, they said that the cave system could be deeper. “The caving game is far from over. It won’t be; not as long as deeper abysses call out to be explored” said Alexander Klimchouk, a renowned speleologist.

The Crows’ Cave (that what it means) is located in Georgia in the Arabika Massif of the Gagra Range, near the coast of the Black Sea.

Source : http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/offbeat-news/10-deepest-caves-in-the-world/1185
Writer : Alex Ion

World Fastest Bullet Train

2008-09-10T09:10:00.003+07:00

When the latest model of Shinkansen, the Japanese bullet train, was launched on July 1, more than 1300 people showed up at 6 am on a Sunday to pack the seats for the maiden voyage, from Tokyo to Fukuoka. The Series N700 is billed by Japan Railways as the world’s fastest bullet train in service (France’s faster TGV train has been used only to break speed records), with a top speed of 186 mph.

It’s the first bullet train to be equipped with an air spring-powered active tilting system, allowing it to whip around corners without slowing down. Special fabric hoods cover the gaps between cars, turning the train into one long, seamless, aerodynamic unit.

Despite all these improvements, the 5-hour trip to Fukuoka will be shortened by a mere 10 minutes. More important, though, the journey will be quieter and more comfortable, and it will use 19 percent less energy than current bullet trains.

World's Fastest Train Specs
• Fast Corners /// The N700 leans into curves, tilting 1 degree more than the angle of the track. This lets it maintain a speed of 168 mph on a curve with a 1.6-mile radius, up from 156 mph for existing trains.

• Power Saver /// Like another emblem of Japanese green design, the Prius, the N700 uses regenerative braking to save power. More cars have motors than on older trains, helping the N700 recover as much energy as possible.

• Up to Speed /// The N700’s acceleration is 30 percent greater than its predecessor’s, the Series 700. The train goes from 0 to 60 mph in 37 seconds — not bad, considering that the vehicle weighs 700 tons.

Source : http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/transportation/4219935.html
Writer : Alex Hutchinson
Photograph by : Ren Zhenglai/Xinhua/WPN

World Biggest Building

2008-09-09T12:34:00.004+07:00

Moscow’s rapidly growing skyline will soon feature an eye-popping new addition: Crystal Island, which will be the world’s biggest building when completed. Sir Norman Foster’s mountainous 27 million square feet spiraling “city within a building” will cost $4 billion and it is scheduled to be built within next 5 years.

The Crystal Island will be Lord Foster’s second large scale project in the Russian capital, and his third new building design that resembles a volcano (we’re talking about his two mountainous buildings in Astana, Kazakstan). Although many people are calling this design the ‘Christmas Tree’ of Moscow - we can’t help but be reminded of the utopian and also rather volcanic X-Seed 4000 design for Tokyo. Unlike that pipe-dream project, however, Foster has a track record of getting buildings built, so the likelihood is high that we will see this striking structure towering over the Kremlin within 5 years time.

The statistics for the project are absolutely staggering; floor area alone will be four times the size of Pentagon in Washington DC. The incredible 1500 ft. tall multi use structure will feature 900 apartments, 3000 hotel rooms, an international school for 500 students, cinemas, a theater, sports complex and much more. There will also be a 16,500 space underground parking lot for all the visitors. The Crystal Island visitors will be able to enjoy panoramic views of Moscow on the viewing platforms located 980 ft. above ground.

And as we’d expect from Foster + Partners, this soon-to-be world’s biggest building will also incorporate a number of sustainable design features into the overall scheme. The exterior facade will be solar responsive and will include solar panels which, along with wind turbines, will generate electricity for the huge tower. Natural ventilation will be provided thanks to numerous strategically placed large atriums. The internal environment will also have dynamic enclosure panels slotted into the structural framing that will allow daylight to penetrate deep into the heart of the structure; the panels will also be controlled to modify temperature inside the building – closed in winter for extra warmth and opened in summer to allow natural ventilation. Energy management is at the heart of this structure, several on-site renewable and low-carbon energy generation projects are planned.

Source : http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/12/26/tallest-skyscraper-in-the-world-coming-to-moscow/
Writer : Karim Yergaliyev
Images via SkycraperCity

World Biggest Truck

2008-09-09T11:50:00.007+07:00

If you’re into cars, particularly big ones, this will surely blow you away. The world’s largest truck in doing it’s job in the US, in Wyoming, Australia, the copper mines in Chile, or extracting iron in South Africa and gold in Nevada. It weighs 203 tonnes (when empty), and measures 24 foot 3 inches (7.4 metres) tall over the canopy, 47 feet 6 inches (14.5 metres) long.

If you were wondering about the price, know that it costs US$3million and 50 to 75 trucks sold each year worldwide. People say driving the truck is like driving a house and, considering the size, we tend to believe them. Here’s the monster up-close!

Source : http://www.wackyarchives.com/offbeat/worlds-biggest-truck.html
Writer : kukon