Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Europe's largest volcano Mount Etna


 

Europe's largest and most volatile volcano Mount Etna spews molten lava from the earth's core thousands of feet above the Sicilian countryside

  • Mount Etna's latest eruption was caught on camera from Acireale, near Cantania, in Sicily
  • It spewed molten lava into the air and sent thick plumes of smoke and ash over the Italian island
  • Almost 1million years old, the volcano is currently standing at 10,925 feet tall and still growing
PUBLISHED: 17:40 GMT, 17 November 2013 UPDATED: 17:53 GMT, 17 November 2013
Europe's most active volcano Mount Etna has erupted - spewing molten lava thousand of feet above the Sicilian countryside.
The eruption, which was captured on camera from Acireale, near Cantania, sent thick plumes of smoke and ash over the Italian island last night. 
The breathtaking footage shows the volatile volcano emitting streams of hot lava from the earth's core. 
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Volcano
Breathtaking: Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, spews molten lava thousand of feet above the Sicilian countryside during its latest eruption
 Fiery sight: A group of men stand talking while the volatile volcano can be seen emitting streams of hot lava from the earth's core
Fiery sight: A group of men engage in conversation, seemingly unaware that the volatile volcano is emitting streams of hot lava from the earth's core
Explosive: The eruption was captured on camera from Acireale, near Cantania. It is the sixteenth paroxysmal eruption recorded this year
Explosive: The eruption was captured on camera from Acireale, near Cantania. It is the sixteenth paroxysmal eruption recorded this year
etna
etna
Powerful: The eruption sent thick plumes of smoke and ash over the Italian island last night - forcing airport officials to close airspace over Mount Etna
The explosion  - which is the sixteenth paroxysmal eruption recorded this year - did not endanger any of the villages dotted around the slopes of the mountain.
However, staff at Cantania Airport have been forced to close airspace above Mount Etna, which is the largest and most active volcano in Europe.
 
This is because the vast ash clouds could be hazardous to aircraft, as they could potentially melt and coat moving parts with a layer of glass.
This would ultimately cause the planes' engines to shut down.


Incredible: The explosion did not endanger any of the villages dotted around the slopes of the mountain
Incredible: The explosion - which lit up the Sicilian sky - did not endanger any of the villages dotted around the slopes of the mountain
Mount Etna's last major eruption was in 1992 - causing a fast-flowing river of molten lava to cascade down the slopes of the mountain. 
Despite the town of Zafferana being endangered by the streams of the red-hot liquid, successful diversion efforts saved the town and only one building was destroyed. 
However, the fiery volcano, currently standing at 10,925 feet tall, is still in constant activity. Astonishingly, it is steadily growing, and has been for 500,000 years, when eruptions began.
Its latest eruption was preceded by a violent tremour on Monday, which sent hundreds of perfect smoke rings into the air.
Risk: However, staff at Cantania Airport have been forced to close airspace above Mount Etna, which is the largest and most active volcano in Europe
Risk: However, staff at Cantania Airport have been forced to close airspace above Mount Etna, which is the largest and most active volcano in Europe
Danger: This is because the vast ash clouds could be hazardous to aircraft, as they could potentially melt and coat moving parts with a layer of glass. This would ultimately cause the planes' engines to shut down
Danger: This is because the vast ash clouds could be hazardous to aircraft, as they could potentially melt and coat moving parts with a layer of glass. This would ultimately cause the planes' engines to shut down
No signs of stopping: The fiery volcano, currently standing at 10,925 feet tall, is still in constant activity. It is situated on the geological boundary where the European and African plates collide
No signs of stopping: The fiery volcano is still in constant activity. It is situated on the geological boundary where the European and African plates collide
Experts believe the eruption may have sparked a change in the structure of a vent, perhaps into a particularly circular shape - allowing Mount Etna to spew the unusual smoke-like formations.
The volcano, which came into existence almost one million years ago, has been well-documented since 1500BC, when its eruptions forced civilians to migrate for safety.
Since then, there have been more than 200 eruptions - from the almost undetectable to the catastrophic.
In 122 BC, an explosive eruption spewed so much ash onto the town of Catania - crushing hundreds of houses - that the town's inhabitants were exempted from paying taxes to Rome for ten years.
Horrific: Mount Etna's last major eruption was in 1992 - causing a fast-flowing river of molten lava to cascade down the slopes of the mountain
Horrific: Mount Etna's last major eruption was in 1992, pictured, causing a fast-flowing river of molten lava to cascade down the slopes of the mountain
The most powerful eruption to date was in 1669, when the explosions destroyed part of the summit and the lava flows reached the sea more than ten miles away.
This disaster prompted town leaders to attempt to control the flows of lava - to no avail.
An extremely violent eruption in 1852 produced more than 2 billion cubic feet of lava and covered more than three square miles of the volcano's base, while the longest eruption began in 1979 and went on for thirteen years.
Near-miss: Despite the town of Zafferana being endangered by the streams of the red-hot liquid, successful diversion efforts saved the town and only one building was destroyed
Near-miss: The town of Zafferana was endangered by the streams of the red-hot liquid; however, successful diversion efforts saved the town from much damage
Mount Etna's current activity consists of continuous summit degassing, explosive Strombolian eruptions, and frequent basaltic lava flows.
It has proved a constant concern for Sicily - with more than 25 per cent of the island's population living on Etna's slopes.

The volatile volcano is also the main source of income for the island due to a combination of agriculture - stemming from its rich volcanic soil - and tourism.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Rainbows of the Natural World





 
China’s rainbow mountains
Imagine a world where the mountains are striped with candy colours and people are dwarfed by the landscape’s immensity. Such a place exists in China’s
northwestern Gansu Province, where 24 million years of vibrant stone and mineral deposits have created rainbow-striped mountains.
The tinted peaks were fashioned by uplift from the Earth’s tectonic plates – the same ones that formed parts of the Himalayan range – while rain, wind and erosion shaped them into the jagged world seen today. Located around the city of Zhangye, the area covers more than 10sqkm and the vista is most dazzling after a rainfall, when the colours glow even brighter than usual. (Melinda Chan/Getty)


Oregon’s painted hills
With the hipster amenities of Portland to the west and the national wonder of Crater Lake to the south, eastern Oregon’s John Day Fossil Beds often get overlooked. This 14,000 acre national park is a natural museum of geological eras, though it is the Painted Hills region that offers the most dramatic view. The spectacular landscape was shaped by numerous volcanic eruptions and extreme climate change around 35 million years ago. As time wore on, the lush vegetative climate turned more arid. Ash, clay, minerals and decaying plant matter all mixed into the soil, leaving pronounced streaks of gold, black, red – even purple and blue. The colours change according to the air’s moisture level, and are said to be most vivid come late afternoon. (Purestock/Getty)

Ethiopia’s alien crater
In the language of the Afar people, Dallol means disintegrated. So it makes sense that Ethiopia’sDallol Volcano is less a volcano than a sunken crater. Caused by 
groundwater and magma colliding, sulphur, iron oxide, salt and other minerals have created the vivid greens and neon yellows that form one of the most remote, untouched and ethereal natural rainbows in the world.
Dallol lies near the border of Eritrea in an area that was closed to foreigners until 2001. Even today it is prudent to travel with an armed guard, as border tensions persist and kidnappings have been known to happen. Because of this, only a few hundred visitors make it to this remarkable landscape every year – which is probably for the best considering the fragility of the landform, the toxic gases and the temperatures that average above 30C. (Thierry Hennet/Getty)

Wyoming’s ultimate spring
Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic, named for its brilliant colouration, is the largest hot spring in the US – its 370ft diameter put into perspective by the paved walkway visible near the photo’s top. The colour spectrum that ranges from deep blue to burnt red is the product of trillions of thermophiles, or bacterial microorganisms, which flourish in hot waters. Different temperatures determine the hue, and the centre’s blue is the result of extreme heat that leaves the bacteria sterile. Grand Prismatic is one of many coloured springs in Yellowstone and draws millions of visitors every year. (Werner Van Steen/Getty)

Light up the night in Iceland
The Aurora Borealis appears in a complete spectrum of colours, from light pinks, reds and greens to the yellows, blues and violets seen here on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula. The beams that dance against the night’s sky are the result of particles colliding, sometimes resulting in streams, ripples or arcs across the horizon. Despite a host of science to explain how exactly these lights come to fruition, there is an alien energy to the glow that makes this a mystery often better left unexplained.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Quilling Papers Art Designs

Quilling Papers Art Designs



The Quilling process consists of cutting strips of paper, and rolling them with a special tool. Special skill is required to create more advanced shapes like marquises, arrowheads or holly leaves. All through the years, the ART of quilling has remained almost unchanged, but new specialty supplies now allow quilling masters to create anything from detailed 3-D figures to wall-sized museum installations. Quilling has been around for hundreds of years, but it’s still as impressive and popular. The art of quilling first became popular during the Renaissance, when nuns and monks would use it to roll gold-gilded paper and decorate religious objects, as an alternative to the expensive gold filigree. Later, during the 18th and 19th centuries, it became a favourite pass-time of English ladies who created wonderful decorations for their furniture and candles, through quilling.



Because it requires so few supplies, quilling is available to anyone with enough patience to give it a try, and with a little bit of practice you’ll be creating some pretty amazing paper artworks, just like iron-maiden-art, whose works show the beauty of quilling.

 

 

 

 



Food Carving Art

Delicious examples of Food Carving Art


Ilian Iliev began his career in photography as a news photographer before moving to London and beginning a career in commercial photography. After a stint assisting several advertising photographers, Ilian went on to develop his own unique style, balancing commercial appeal with an artistic eye. Ilian now has over 10 year's experience working in studio and location settings specialising in food and drink, still life and product photography. A passionate and talented cook himself, the enjoyment Ilian takes from food and drink shines through in his images. In the series below titled Carving, Ilian shows his mastery of food photography. Unfortunately the Sifter was unable to determine if it was Ilian himself who did the food carving or if an outside artist was used. Regardless, the images are fantastic and the food carving is top notch.













































 

Beautiful Royal Pigeons


Beautiful Royal Pigeons









Royal Pigeons different breeds, mostly expensive and sensitive.