Geographical+Features+-+Aysia

=** backround information **= =gondwana= Gondwana was the worlds supercontinent but over millions of years it has broken up into the countries we have now. = =
 * Antarctica used to be a central part of Gondwanaland, as Gondwanaland broke during the late mesozonic and the early cenozonic eras (some 100 million years ago) to form the continents of the southern hemisphere, Antarctica drifted from the tropical Zone to its present polar position. **
 * Antarctica is located in the southern hemisph ere to the South of the antarctic circle. Antarctica is claimed to be the driest, coldest, windiest place on earth. The wind can reach up to 300km per hour.its the largest single piece of ice on earth its size is 14,000,000 km2 most of Antarctica lies 2000 m above surface making it the highest continent on earth.**

=Night and day= Antarctica recives 24 hours of daylight when tilted to the sun (21st of september) or 24 hours of darkness on close to darkness when its tilted away from the sun.

=Aurora borealis= The name Aurora was given to light released when the upper atmosphere is hit by a energetic charged particals known as electrons travling along the magnetic field lines. Energetic electrons hitting a gas that then releases light as in the same process that operates in a flouresent tube or light. Auroras occur around the poles in both hemispheres.Its called Aurora Australis in the southern hemisphere and Aurora Borealis in the Northern hemisphere.

=Antarctica is claimed to be the driest coldest region on earth. It does rain in Antarctica mostly around the coast lines. Only about 30 days a year=

The icecap is melting so the climate is changing quickly which is resulting in weather changes.
=Are there plants in Antarctica?= There are some kinds of mosses ,fungi, liverwort (which are small and live in most places except the sea) and lichens =WHAT ARE LICHENS= Lichens are a type of plant which can adapt more than plants in Antarctica. Most lichens grow ruffly 1cm every 100 years! They can be just about any colour, there are three types of lichens in Antarctica, Crustos lichens, which form a thin crust on the surface they are growing on; foliose lichens, which form a leaf like lobes and fruticose which have a shruby growth habbit. =Snow Algae= Snow Algae grows in semi- permanent to permanent snow ice in the alpine or the polar regions in our case Antarctica.There optinuim growth tempertures are normaly below 10o C. These algae have successfully adapted to their harsh environment.

= mountains = = Mt.Tyree =

Mt.Tyree is the third highest mountain in antarctica at a height of 4,852s
and its the highest peak in antarctica.

=Mt.Vinson Massif= Mt.Vinson Massif which is the highest mountain in antarctica its the sixth highest in the seven submits its height reaching 4,892 This mountain was named after Georgia Congressman Carl Vinson the former House armed services committee. Vinson, in congress from 1935 to 1961,supported Government funding for the exploration of antarctica. it was founded in 1957. =Mt. shinn=

Mt shinn =**volcanos**=

Mt. Sidly is the highest volcano in Antarctica standing at 4,285

=Trans Antarctic mountains= The Trans Antarctic mountains are the longest chain of mountains in the world. they form a boundary between the east and the west. They are about 3,500 km long and vary to 100-300km in width. They rise about 4,500 m above sea level

=Glaciers= The antarcic ice sheet covering the continent is snow and ice that has been conpressed (to press together) for over thousands of years. under the ice there are mountains and valleys. Where mountains occur the ice flows into valleys to form rivers of ice called glaciers. These move slowly towards the coast, pushed by the ice behind them and pulled by gravity

When a glacier reaches the coast it may flow onto a iceshelf or break off into open waters to produce iceburgs. Globle warming is causing glaciers on the peninsula to move faster, and their melted water may eventully cause sea levels to rise.

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=**weather**=

= = =climate change= The climate is changing drastically because the ice cap and other parts of antarctica are melting and causing globle warming. If antactica melts some specices will become extinct this may include humans because the water level will rise and drown us.

The lowest climate recorded in nature was at the Russian vostoc station on the 21of July 1983 vostocs temperature dropped to - 89.2 degrees Antarctica is the driest continent, with an amount of moisture recived from the polar platue.

Bibliography: Cite This For Me. 2013. //Cite This For Me: The Easy Citation Generator//. [online] Available at: http://www.citethisforme.com/cite/website [Accessed: 6 Sep 2013].

Antarctica.gov.au. 2013. //Aurora — Australian Antarctic Division//. [online] Available at: http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/environment/atmosphere/aurora [Accessed: 14 Sep 2013].

Classroom.antarctica.gov.au. 2013. //Weather — Classroom Antarctica//. [online] Available at: http://classroom.antarctica.gov.au/continent/weather [Accessed: 14 Sep 2013].

Coolantarctica.com. 2013. //Trans Antarctic Mountains//. [online] Available at: http://www.coolantarctica.com/Bases/South_Pole/south_pole0222.html [Accessed: 14 Sep 2013].

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