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subduction zone

(Encyclopedia) subduction zone, large-scaled narrow region in the earth's crust where, according to plate tectonics, masses of the spreading oceanic lithosphere bend downward into the earth along the…

skin diving

(Encyclopedia) skin diving, act of swimming freely underwater. It is done with the aid of a face mask, swimming fins for the feet, and either a snorkel breathing tube or scuba [acronym for self-…

Ballard, Robert Duane

(Encyclopedia) Ballard, Robert DuaneBallard, Robert Duanebălˈərd [key], 1942–, American marine geologist, b. Wichita, Kans.; Ph.D. Univ. of Rhode Island, 1974. From 1969 to 1997 he was associated…

Kootenay National Park

(Encyclopedia) Kootenay National Park, 543 sq mi (1,406 sq km), SE British Columbia, Canada; est. 1920. In the Rocky Mts. near Kootenay Lake, it contains high peaks, glaciers, deep canyons, and hot…

Zion National Park

(Encyclopedia) Zion National Park, 146,592 acres (59,349 hectares), SW Utah. First proclaimed a national monument in 1909, it was enlarged several times and established as a national park in 1919.…

Sigsbee, Charles Dwight

(Encyclopedia) Sigsbee, Charles Dwight, 1845–1923, American naval officer, b. Albany, N.Y. He saw service in the Gulf of Mexico in the Civil War, was subsequently stationed with the Asian squadron,…

Raung

(Encyclopedia) Raung, active volcano, East Java prov., Indonesia, rising to 10,932 ft (3,332 m), with a steep-sided, 1.2-mi (2-km) wide caldera that is 1,600 ft (500 m) deep. It is located SW of Ijen…

Cotswold sheep

(Encyclopedia) Cotswold sheep, large, white-faced, hornless breed with a broad, flat back, moderately deep body, heavy fleece, and long, coarse wool hanging in ringlets. It was originated in the…

Erymanthian boar

(Encyclopedia) Erymanthian boarErymanthian boarĕrĭmănˈthēən [key], in Greek mythology, a huge boar that ravaged the environs of Mt. Erymanthos. As his third labor, Hercules captured it by chasing it…

Guiana Highlands

(Encyclopedia) Guiana Highlands, mountainous tableland, c.1,200 mi (1,930 km) long and from 200 to 600 mi (322–966 km) wide, N South America, bounded by the Orinoco and Amazon river basins, and by…