My Science School

Nevado Ojos del Salado is the highest volcano on Earth and the highest peak in Chile. It is a dormant complex volcano in the Andes on the Argentina-Chile border. It stretches for about 70-160 square kilometres and its highest summit reaches an altitude of 6,893 metres above sea level. It is part of the Nevado de Tres Cruces National Park, which is situated 290 kilometres from the town of Copiapo of the Chilean Atacama region and 600 kilometres from Mount Aconcagua, which is the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere.

The climate of this mountain region is rather dry due to its proximity to the Atacama Desert that is situated to the west of the Andes Mountain. Ojos Del Salado is a popular hiking destination because of its easy trail, except the last stretch before the summit, which requires equipment to climb. Jan Alfred Szczepanski and Justyn Wojsznis were the first to reach the top of Ojos Del Salado in 1937.

There are no confirmed eruptions of Ojos del Salado. In 1993, there were reports of a minor gas-and-ash emission, but this could not be confirmed.

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Owing to its elevation, the Tibetan Plateau is known as the Roof of the World (Bam-i- Duniah). This region of Asia is known as High Asia, with an average elevation of 4511 metres above sea level, making the Tibetan Plateau the world's highest plateau.

It was formed and is still being formed due to the collision of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates- these plates started colliding about 70 million years ago! The Tibetan Plateau has a number of saline and freshwater glacial lakes, that is, there are about 1,500 large and small lakes with a total area of 24,183 square kilometres as on 2008.

It is also called the Third Pole due to its ice fields, which are the world's greatest freshwater resource other than the Polar Regions. This region gives rise to some of the most important rivers of Asia including the Brahmaputra, Indus, Ganges, Salween, Mekong, Yangtze, and Yellow river.

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The Great Barrier Reef covers an area of 348,000 square kilometres, and is the longest and largest reef complex of the planet. In fact, this remarkable site is one of the seven wonders of the natural world. Located on the north-east coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is home to a huge diversity of species and habitats. This ecosystem is intricately interconnected, making it one of the richest and most complex natural ecosystems on earth.

It is home to over 1,500 species of fish, 400 species of corals, and 4,000 species of molluscs. It also hosts 240 species of birds along with a number of sponges, anemones, marine worms, crustaceans, and other species. This giant marvel is also home to many endemic and threatened species listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). These features make it a very popular tourist destination and thus contribute to the economic development of the country.

In order to safeguard and preserve the reef, it was declared as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in 1975, and the supervision of the park was handed over to the authorities of the Marine Park.

Owing to its significance in the ocean ecosystem, the Great Barrier Reef was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Picture Credit : Google